Prisoner of His Heart
by Odango Atama
Summary: BEING REVAMPED. Princess Serenity is captured and taken as a prisoner in Prince Endymion's castle. As the lies and deceit around the war begin to unravel, the two find love in a place where no one ever thought they would: in each other.
1. Prologue

**Prisoner of His Heart**  
Written by: Odango Atama

I had written this story a few years ago under the same name but unfortunately I was not able to recover the original story so if this seems oddly familiar to you then you now know why. This story is simply my rendition of the untimely tale of our favourite star-crossed lovers, Prince Endymion and Princess Serenity. It takes place during the Silver Millennium where communication between the Moon and the Earth is strictly forbidden. It is a story within a story, where Neo Queen Serenity tells the tale to her daughter, Small Lady. I always thought it would be amusing to have Endymion and Serenity fall in love the same way Mamoru and Usagi did, which was to go down fighting. It's much more interesting to write than having them fall in love upon first sight. Granted, it takes on a much more sexual route, thus the mature rating and the characters are portrayed to be much more adult than in the anime and manga. I tried my best to maintain their personalities and characteristics, although I had to keep reminding myself that they are not Mamoru and Usagi, and in fact these two people are much more different than their reincarnations. The story was originally based off the Disney rendition of Beauty and the Beast, but during my second time around I decided to retract that notion. I've taken many ideas and inspiration from various forms of media, more specifically Asian dramas so don't be surprised if the story has a "drama-like" feeling to it; that's what I was aiming for. I've gone through the liberty to create my own "minor details" in regards to a few historic events, and you'll see I've definitely stretched my image of the technology of the Silver Millennium, but all of it was done for plot's sake. There are new characters (but no new Sailor Senshi, I can assure you that) but they're kept purely again for the sake of plot.

If you haven't noticed by now, this story is M meaning there are adult themes throughout the story, but not as explicit as the original NC-17+ version. If you would like to read the original edition, visit my profile for a link. That being said, even this M rated version tends to push the envelope quite a lot, so take your pick. That being said, please enjoy this fanfic, and please feel free to leave a review with any comments or criticism you may have. I read each and every review before I write the next chapter so your critiques really do help. Thank you, and enjoy Prisoner of His Heart.

* * *

Pleasantly perfect. 

No, that didn't seem right.

Elatedly perfect?

No, not that either.

Blithely perfect?

No, that doesn't feel right.

Blissfully perfect?

Neo-Queen Serenity's lips curled into a smile. 'Yes, blissfully will do.'

Those were the two words that effortlessly depicted her life. Life... it wasn't just perfect. To say that it was _just _perfect would be an understatement at best. She had everything she could have ever dreamed for and more. She had a husband who loved her with his entire being, a daughter she loved with all her might, friends and family all around her, and a prospering utopia beneath her fingertips. No, life wasn't _just _perfect. It was _blissfully _perfect.

Of course, it wasn't always like this. Neo-Queen Serenity had her number of trials to endure and her crosses to bare. But if she had to go through that all over again just to reach this moment in her life, then she would have definitely done it all over without hesitation.

Without even bothering to flick on the light, she entered the dimly lit living room. As she slowly made her way towards the couch that rested in the middle of the room, the vision of her sleeping husband came into view. His purple tinted bangs rested gently over his closed eyes as one arm laid on his chest while the other dangled off the side of the couch. His broad chest rose and fell in rhythm with his deep, yet quiet breaths. Even at the tender age of 24, his face still appeared to have the features of an innocent visage of a baby boy.

A dreamy sigh escaped her lips. Neo-Queen Serenity fell in love all over again.

Brushing her skirt, she then bent down to his level, simply taking in the image of him sleeping. Reaching out to graze his face, her fingers lightly caressed his smooth skin. She jerked her hand back abruptly when he began to stir, but after they ceased she continued her gentle stroking. 'How did I end up with such a wonderful man?' she wondered. There were times where she wasn't sure they'd make it, but they did. Every time they pulled through with flying colors and their love was stronger than ever. This man was her soul mate, her life, her _everything_.

"Mom?" A young voice called from behind.

Turning her head slightly, Neo-Queen Serenity smiled. There she was, her pride and joy, standing by the doorway in her white nightgown: Princess Usagi Small Lady Serenity. "What are you doing, mother?" Small Lady whispered, quietly walking over to her mother's side while eying her suspiciously.

Grinning mischievously, the Queen pulled her daughter close. "Do you want to see something funny?" she asked her daughter quietly who in turn nodded responsively. Hovering her right hand above her husband's nose, she gently pinched it between her finger and thumb. Endymion twisted and twitched beneath her grasp as one of his air sources had been cut off abruptly. However, deep in his slumber, the King nodded it off while mumbling incoherent sayings beneath his breath.

Like mother like daughter, the two girls giggled as quiet as they could. Neo-Queen Serenity raised her other hand over his mouth ready to clamp the last source of air and finish off the deal, but just as her fingers brushed against his lips, Serenity shrieked as an arm latched around her waist and pulled her close.

"Oi," Endymion grumbled, still groggy from his sleep. His voice slightly nasally from Serenity's clamped fingers, Small Lady sat back giggling at her parents. A droopy eye opened and eyed his wife suspiciously. "Can I ask what you two ladies are doing at this time of the day?"

"You looked so peaceful, dear."

"Usually that's a sign to leave people alone, dear."

"Not for you, it is. It just makes me want to bug you even more, dear," she retorted. Although it seemed as if she had the upper hand, Serenity had clearly lost the battle. The battle against Endymion's tickling fingers, that is. The arm that had stuck around her waist began its attack on her sensitive skin with it's wiggling fingers. Giggling hysterically, Serenity tried to pry herself away from the death grip her husband held over her, but alas she was his prisoner. "Stop… please…! I can't.. breathe…!" she pleaded, while laughing at the same time.

"Funny, I would be saying the same thing if I hadn't stopped you." Sitting up in his seat, his other hand reached for her waist and continued it's assault on her skin. Completely helpless under his grasp, Serenity collapsed in his arms, pounding at his chest wanting to be freed of this torture. If there was one thing she could not succumb to it was his powerful tickling attacks. "Promise you won't do that again?" he negotiated. To be honest, Endymion could sit here all day doing this.

"I promise!" Serenity cried.

"Who is the greatest King in the world?"

"You are, you are!"

"And who do you love the most?"

"Small Lady!" Endymion's fingers stopped, looking at his wife with doubt. "...and you, my dear," she whispered, staring into his eyes. Their gazes locked, Endymion slowly moved his face towards hers, however their impromptu kiss was cut short by an abrupt cough.

"Please!" Small Lady pleaded, eyes narrowing at her lovey-dovey parents. "None of that while I'm here. You guys can do whatever you want after I sleep, okay? Now, can someone read me a story before I sleep, please?"

"Alright, alright, Small Lady." Endymion grudgingly released his hold on his wife allowing her to stand up. Sitting herself down next to him, she left enough room for her daughter to sit in between and motioned for her to come over.

"Tell me a story about you two," Small Lady requested as she propped herself in between the two lovers. Serenity glanced over at her husband with uncertainty. They had certainly been through a lot together. Small Lady was even there to witness a good portion of it. What else could she possibly not know? "Tell me how you first met!" she suggested cheerfully.

"Didn't we tell you this story before?" Endymion asked, rubbing his tired eyes.

Small Lady shook her head. "Not how Usagi and Mamo-chan met. I mean, how did you two first meet? Before you were here on Earth?"

Serenity sighed wistfully as the memories of her life on the Moon came flooding back to her. It only seemed like yesterday that she was a simple Princess, when in fact it was several millenniums ago. "Oh yes, that story. Dear, would you like to tell it, or shall I?" she asked, glancing in his direction.

"Oh…. that? Why, dear, you're much... better at telling stories than I am…" Endymion turned away from her gaze, completely flustered by her question. Puzzled, Serenity wondered why he was so hesitant about the story. Suddenly, it clicked.

"You don't remember, do you?!" she cried angrily. He didn't remember their first kiss as humans, so why would he remember a story that was millions of years before that? Knowing she had hit a nerve, Endymion coughed and continued to avoid her deathly stare. "Oh, Endymion, how could you forget?!"

"I didn't forget, dear! I just… can't seem to remember as well as you. I'm sure it will all come back to me if you tell the story." Endymion was a wonderful lover but as a liar, he was horrible. Deciding to deal with it later, Serenity turned her attention to her daughter who waited anxiously to hear the tale.

"Although peace exists now it was not always like this. In fact, millions of years ago, the Moon and the Earth were at war. Due to the power of the Ginzuishou, my people were able to live forever, and the Earthlings were jealous of that power. Because of that, contact between the two nations was forbidden. Although the Earth bared a grudge against the Moon we did not bare any resentment towards them. There were a select few who did, but generally we did not think of the Earth as a threat just as a danger."

Serenity glanced up at Endymion beneath her lashes and smiled. They had indeed come a long way. From death to rebirth, they survived against the millions of odds and obstacles that stood in front of them. Taking a quick look at Serenity to see if she was still angry Endymion was surprised to see her smiling at him. He smiled back and reached out for her hand. Grasping his, Serenity sighed.

'Blissfully perfect, indeed.'

"And so, this is how our story goes…"

* * *

_Prologue Notes_: This sets up the notion of the story within a story. I always knew Chibi-Usa/Small Lady was a fan of stories, and who better to ask than the one with the greatest stories ever told? Although initially writing the story I had intended to continue the family cameos, but it became more difficult as the story progressed, but hopefully more opportunities will present themselves because these types of scenes really are a joy to write. 


	2. Chapter 1

**Prisoner of His Heart  
**Written by: Odango Atama

* * *

**"WARNING. INTRUDER. WARNING. INTRUDER. WARNING..."**

The sounds of several sirens blared through the halls of the Earth castle, while red alarms flashed violently. Several men in soldier uniforms scrambled around the castle, trying to find what had triggered the alarms. The beepings and sounds of the computers indicated that it was trying to pinpoint the exact location of the culprit. Whatever it was, it had turned the usual quiet and serene castle into a disorderly and confused one.

Prince Endymion was loving it.

With his hands firmly on his hips, Endymion took in a deep breath as chaos scrambled around him. A Prince and future King should not be at peace when his castle was in a ruckus like this. However, this insanity meant one thing and one thing only:

Someone was stupid enough to teleport to Earth from the Moon.

Although peace and quiet was good, there was nothing like prosecuting a thief, or catching a menace to society, or in rare cases, executing those idiot Moonlings foolish enough to trespass on _his _land.

"Master Endymion! Master!" A young voice called to him. The young general Jaedite rushed towards Prince Endymion's direction. The general bent at the hip slightly to pay respects to his Prince, and future King. "We have just arrested another Moonling," he informed.

Endymion's eyes widened at his words. "So quickly?" he asked.

"It appears that they discovered him wandering near the castle after he triggered the alarm," Jaedite explained. "The alarm for magic use was triggered first, meaning the Moonling must have deliberately teleported here."

Endymion could not believe what he was hearing. Not only was this intruder stupid enough to use magic and teleport to Earth, but to the castle? Normally, the cases he had before had set up a significant distance between themselves and this fortress, but never in his entire life had he met anyone so idiotic enough to transport here.

He had to meet this person. Commend him for being so courageous, then kill him for being outrageously stupid.

Magic was only supposed to be used officially by shrine keepers and maidens, but humans were capable of learning as well. Since the only way of traveling from the Earth to the Moon was through magical means, this was a perfect way to detect when any Moonlings decided to trespass on Earth grounds. Sailor Soldiers were given the privilege of the magics as well, but since Sailor Soldiers were greatly associated with the Moon Kingdom, they fell under the same category.

"Bring me to him, Jaedite. I will deal with this matter accordingly," Endymion ordered. Smirking, Jaedite knew exactly what this meant.

"As you wish, Master." Jaedite turned away from the Prince and ran out the room. In the case of Moonlings, Endymion had the final say in everything. It didn't matter who found them first, it was up to the Prince to deem the sentence. If this were not the case, every Moonling caught would definitely be executed. As lovely as that sounded, he could not allow himself to promote a mass murdering society.

Rubbing his hands in anticipation, Endymion could not believe how lucky he was. Just when he thought he would die of boredom, some idiot decided to spare his life by offering theirs.

One would think that the lifestyle of being the richest and most powerful man in the world would have its perks. Of course, it did, at times. Women, gold, and an entire nation were beneath his grasp. He loved being a Prince, but there were times where even women, gold and society failed at entertaining him. Not to mention the countless hours spent devising plans and strategies with his generals on how to possibly infiltrate or throw down the Moon castle had drained him completely. With a defense system like the Moon's, it would put a strain on even the smartest ,intelligent brain.

The war with the Moon had only started recently. Reasons ranged from, "They mock us with their eternal lives!" to "They're aliens from outer space planning to over throw us!" to "They look weird." Simply put, Earthlings _hated_ Moonlings with their entire beings.

Ever since the countess Beryl had entered the situation, the hatred towards the Moon increased by tenfold. Although there was no technical proof to link her to the grudge against the moon, people had suddenly become even less friendly towards them ever since she arrived to their planet. Not to mention, she gave off an eerie vibe.

He was well aware of her obsession, for lack of a better term, over him. Although her fiery red hair and womanly figure were attractive, he could never see himself with her. To be honest, he could never see himself with anyone like that. He passed the time and fulfilled his 'needs' by grabbing any woman who was willing enough to pleasure him and have his way with her. It meant nothing to him, and was just a means to pass the time. He could not see himself settling down with anyone, which was fine to him. This showed he had a clear objective, which was to rule over his people, and lead them to victory against the Moon.

Several laws were passed which included but not consisted entirely of: 1) No member, or anyone associated with the Moon Kingdom is allowed to step one foot onto the Earth. Consequences to that law were pretty dependent on how he felt at the moment. Execution, slavery, you name it. A few days ago they had executed a Moonling for "trespassing" into family's house. The truth behind that was that the Moonling was actually having an affair with the wife of the house, which leads to:

Rule number 2: The union of a Moonling and Earthling is forbidden. You were better off having an affair with your brother's wife than to consummate with a Moonling. This was considered the highest taboo considered on Earth. It was considered a betrayal to your country, to your people, which is what it was, pretty much.

Ever since these laws were passed, activity concerning the Moon had simmered down. The death mentioned earlier was the first case in months. The people of the moon were absolutely terrified of ever stepping foot on Earth, and with laws like those can you blame them?

In just a matter of minutes, the alarms and sirens came to a halt. The doors to the throne room flew open. The Shitennou were the first to enter, followed by several soldiers, then by two guards desperately trying to hold onto what seemed to be the prisoner. Clothed in a brown robe that covered his face and body, Endymion saw that this man was giving these poor guards a hard time by his futile struggle.

Endymion was amazed. Compared to his capturers, the man was tiny! And judging by his grunts, his voice was slightly effeminate. No, they were incredibly effeminate. An interest suddenly captured Endymion, as he strided over to unveil this mystery man. "Hold him still, men!" Endymion ordered.

"We're trying, Prince! He's… stronger than he looks!" One guard argued, while at the same time trying to control the wild beast next to them.

"Hey, stop giving my guards a tough time," Endymion reasoned with the man. "Just stop struggling and maybe the sentence won't be as severe," he offered, although it was a complete lie. As he placed his hand on the man's shoulder, the prisoner jerked away from his grasp.

"Get your filthy hands off me," the man threatened, refusing to listen to him as he continued his struggle against the guards. "I swear, if you lay one more hand on me, I will rip it off!"

Endymion was startled slightly by this sudden gesture. He was being threatened?! If there was one thing about males, they hated to be threatened, especially in their own home. However, something felt awfully odd. Staring at his hand, the man's shoulder even felt oddly effeminate. Although the words were not that of a lady, the tone of the man's voice was incredibly feminine. Was this really a man beneath the robe?

"Empty threats don't work on the Prince," the other guard spoke up. "Whose fault is it, here? Who here broke the laws by trespassing? And near the castle, of all places! You should be killed for being plain stupid!"

"Stupid?!" The man shrieked, completely insulted by the comment. "I should be killed for being stupid? You and your stupid Prince should be killed for placing in those stupid laws! You know how many of my people are missing because of you bastards?! Let me go!"

The voice confirmed his suspicions. Endymion reached out his hand to grab a hold of this "man's" chin beneath the hood that engulfed his face. The man remained completely still underneath his grasp, shivering slightly.

Endymion could smell the fear. Although the person acted tough, he could tell they were absolutely frightened. But, enough was enough. He had to find out the truth behind this fugitive. 'The softness of the skin, the tone of the voice, and the shape of the body…' Every thing about this person was feminine! Either this was a man who got the wrong end of the deal in life, or he was not really a man at all. Using his other hand, Endymion reached behind the man's head and grasped the hood, yanking it back.

Gasps filled the room from complete shock that in front of them was no man at all.

"I knew it."

It was a woman. And what a woman. No, not old enough to be a woman… she was definitely still a young girl. Still, _what _a young girl she was. Two ocean blue eyes hidden beneath full and luscious eyelashes pierced his gaze with complete fear and utter disgust. Her skin was soft and glowing as he held it beneath his fingers. Rosy red lips that spat venom with every word, curled to reveal her hatred. Sneaking his hand through her long, flowing, silky blonde hair, it passed like threads of silk in his hand.

His eyes traveled to the top of her head. Two adjacent buns fashioned in the style of a ponytail was the traditional hairstyle of the Moon royalty, with white sphere pins in her hair. Eyes traveling to her forehead, his suspicions were again confirmed. A bright golden crescent moon shone brightly, which Endymion knew was a dead giveaway of the Moon Kingdom royalty.

He couldn't believe it. Not only was this man a girl, it was the girl every Earthling wished they had their hands on!

"So tell me, sweet Princess, what brings you to my neck of the woods?"

"Princess Serenity?" Kunzite asked in disbelief, holding a gloved hand to his mouth. "This girl is the key to winning the war against the moon, and she fell straight into our laps?" This was too suspicious. Every thing seemed too good to be true.

"Unhand me, and perhaps I will spare your life!" Serenity threatened with intensity in her voice. Now that he knew it was a woman, the threatening was more adorable than amusing compared to before. Endymion chuckled, and pulled her face closer to him by the chin. Staring into her eyes, he smirked and shook her head slightly.

"Princess, Princess… I don't think you're in ANY position at all to be threatening. Clearly you must know the situation you are in. We're at war with your people, and here you are, in our possession."

Her eyes widened. Did he scare the poor girl? 'Serves her right for that snarky attitude earlier. Still, it's a shame her beauty is wasted as a Moon Kingdom royalty.' He leaned in towards her ear, whispering ever so softly, "I could have you killed in a second."

He felt the princess grow stiff in his grasp. 'That ought to shut her up.' He had briefly heard about the Moon Kingdom royalty; the traditional hair style, the name, and of course, the beauty. He knew Queen Serenity was considered a Goddess, but he didn't think that her daughter would fall under the same category. God, she was gorgeous. Although he couldn't see now, but underneath that robe must have been a wonderland body.

"What should we do with the Princess, Master?" Zoicite inquired. "The people will definitely want the Princess' head on a platter."

Zoicite was thinking exactly what he was thinking. "Yes, such a pretty head, too," Endymion murmured, nuzzling her soft cheek with his thumb. He could sense the hatred this girl felt for him, as she stared up at him with dagger like, cold, icy eyes. Releasing his grasp on her chin abruptly, he wiped his hands on his cape.

"I don't think death will be the smartest answer. We're not talking about some random Moonling. We have in our hands, the heir to their Kingdom, the precious Princess Serenity. Do you know how important that is to them? How important that is to the Queen?"

"How deviant, Master!" Nephrite exclaimed. "That was just as suspected from a man of your stature. Holding her ransom is brilliant! Queen Serenity loves her daughter, and she'll do anything to get her back! As far as I know it, we've won the war!" Cheers bellowed throughout the room as the people around him threw their hands in the air in joy.

Endymion smiled, clearly pleased by the reaction he received. "It is true. We have won the war! In exchange for the Princess, Queen Serenity will have to give us the Ginzuishou, and her throne. The longer she is without her daughter, the more desperate she will become."

Just as he turned his attention towards the Princess, like venom from a snake, she spat in his face. The room fell silent from shock at what had just happened. One hand wiped the smear on his face, and flicked it to the ground. No one had ever spat in his face before, ever. Insulted and disgusted, he grabbed the Princess roughly by the chin, pulling her face uncomfortably forward.

"Don't you dare hurt my mother," she warned as fierce as she could. Despite her strong exterior, Endymion felt her shaking beneath his grasp. She was really frightened, and now worried for her mother.

'I almost feel sorry for her…' Shaking his head, Endymion also shook the thoughts out of his head. 'No! I can't think like that. Compassion for the guilty will only lead to your downfall.' Releasing her chin, Endymion turned his attention towards the guards. "Throw her into the dungeon. Give her a little time out to think about what she's done."

"Yes, Prince!" And with that, they pulled the Princess away.

"No! Unhand me!" Serenity screamed, and struggled harder against their grasp. Not wanting to deal with it anymore, the guard on her left pulled out his sword and smashed the handle into the back of her head. She immediately fell limp into their grasps.

Endymion's eyes widened in concern. His body moved forward slightly, but he stopped himself. Something ate at him inside as he watched the guards take away the Princess' unconscious body out the throne room. It was as if he felt remorse for the Princess… 'No, that's impossible. Why would I feel remorse? She's the Moon Kingdom royalty. I should be happy.'

As the guards and general around him cheered in joy for the capture of the Moon Princess, Endymion could not find it in himself to cheer along with them. Something inside him felt wrong, horribly wrong, and he was going to find out what it was.

* * *

"Unggh…"

Serenity's eyes slowly fluttered open as she began to regain her consciousness. Her head felt like it had been hit with a brick, and she was freezing cold. Greeted with darkness around her, she was completely unaware of her current location. 'Where am I? How did I get here?' She was sitting down, in a dark and damp room, with a pounding headache. How could she have ended up in such a situation?

She attempted to move her arms and was surprised to see that they were restricted in movement. It only dawned on her now that her arms were held above her head. "What?" Her wrists had been cuffed to the wall behind her, preventing any movement in her arms whatsoever. Her feet were free to move, however she felt a similar cuff on her right ankle, which seemed to be tied to something heavy and unmovable. She had to be in some sort of prison, or dungeon… but how did she—

"Oh, right." It all came back to her. The throne room, the angry Earthlings, the guard knocking her out, and of course, the Prince. 'What an idiot! They're all idiots! How could they treat anyone like this?' Struggling against her chains, Serenity eventually gave up, finding any sort of escape futile. She was going to die here. Die in this dirty, cold prison without ever seeing the light of day ever again.

It wasn't her fault she ended up in this situation. Curiosity was her downfall. She was well aware of the hatred the Earth felt towards her kingdom, but she could not deny her love for the beautiful planet. Always watching from her balcony, Serenity fell in love with the blue oceans and green landscapes that she had to witness it at least once in her life. Buying a transportation spell from the black market was easy, but performing the spell was difficult especially for a rookie like herself. 'That would explain why I landed here, of all places.' The spell said to picture the destination, but since Serenity's knowledge of the Earth's landscapes were limited, so were her destination spots. 'Maybe the Prince is right… maybe I should rot here for just being so plain stupid.'

Serenity shook her head. 'No! Don't let the Prince win. He's the reason why this kingdom is so full of hate. How could such a beautiful place hold such hatred? It has to be that stupid Prince's fault…! Who does he think he his, grabbing my face like that?! I'll show him next time!'

Next time. 'Right. If there is a next time… No! I have to find a way out of here. I can't let them hurt my mother. There has to be some—'

Suddenly, the room filled with a bright light. Serenity shut her strained eyes as she heard a door swing open. "Who's there?" she called, while lifting one eye slowly. Her vision was blurry from being in the dark for so long, and she was unable to make out the dark figure that began to approach her. Once the figure reached her, it bent down and grabbed a hold of her chin in a similar fashion as the Prince had earlier that day. "What—Who are you? Unhand me!" Serenity demanded.

The figure placed a finger to her lips, silencing her. Then, just as her vision began to clear up, a hand began to trail up her bare arm. Serenity's cheeks flushed at the brush of the fingers on her sensitive skin. Suddenly she heard a click, and her wrists were freed.

"Princess, please. I'm here to free you," the figure spoke. By the sound of his voice, Serenity immediately realized who this person was.

"….you!" she growled. With her newly freed hand, she brought it back to swing across the man's face, but his hand grabbed it moments before it reached his face. "Let me go!" she demanded, attempting to hit him with her other hand.

"My my, is this how you treat your savior?" Prince Endymion smirked, grabbing her other wrist in his hand. He held her arms above her head in the similar fashion she was in with the chains. "Perhaps I should have removed your leg before your hands…" he wondered aloud.

"I would have just kicked you in your groin," Serenity muttered, glaring at the man in front of her. She wished her vision hadn't cleared up. Here, in front of her was the cause of all her troubles in the world, and she was absolutely helpless, which only made her hate him even more. This man was responsible for everything. He was the reason why the Earthlings bared such hatred against her people. He was the reason why so many of her people were killed, just for stepping foot on their planet. He was the reason why this beautiful planet could not prosper. It was all his fault!

A hand grabbed at her leg, pushing it down. Just like before with her arm, Serenity blushed at this sudden intimate contact. 'Wait… why am I being flustered by this jerk?'

He smiled mischievously at her. "I'm not taking my chances with you. You're a feisty one, aren't you?" he mocked. Serenity couldn't stand his arrogance. She had heard the tales of the beautiful Earth Prince, who had the face of an angel, but the heart of a devil. He only looked a few years older than her, with his dark raven hair with swept bangs that danced just over his eyes. His eyes reminded her of the color of the oceans when she watched the Earth from the balcony. With his lips curled into a smirk, Serenity could not deny this Prince's good looks. 'So he's good looking? He's a jerk! An arrogant, stupid jerk!'

Yet her body could not deny its primal instincts. As he moved in closer, Serenity's breath became short, and her face grew hot. "What's wrong, Princess? You seem quite odd."

Embarrassed by her body's reaction, Serenity ignored his comment. "What do you want? Did you come here for a reason other than to play touchy feely with the prisoner?" she asked, sarcasm dripping from her tongue. "Will you release me? Even if I did kick you, I wouldn't be able to get very far with that chain on my leg."

"Oh, I know. I just seemed to have grown a liking seeing you all flustered and nervous like that," Endymion replied, as his lips formed into a seductive grin. Serenity's eyes widened with surprise. Insulted by his words, Serenity began to struggle violently against his grip. "Hey, it was a joke! Calm down! I'll let go, I'll let go!" Releasing his hands from her wrists and leg, Endymion sighed in frustration as he scratched the back of his head. "God, you're difficult to deal with."

"I'm glad!" she spat, while rubbing her aching wrists. Speaking of aching, those shakes and struggles reminded her of the pain at the back of her head. Reaching back with one hand, Serenity winced as her fingers brushed over a bump on the back of her head.

"Oh right, sorry about that. My guards get angry easily, especially when it comes to your type. They don't seem to care if it's a girl, or not," Endymion explained. "Does it hurt?"

Serenity glared in his direction again. "Last I checked, my well being was none of your concern."

Holding his hands up in defense, Endymion backed up a bit. "Hey. I need you in tip top formation if I'm going to ransom you. Can't ransom you if you die of an aneurism, can I?" Serenity couldn't believe the words that came out of his mouth. "Look, you're my prisoner, but I can't have you rotting away in this dungeon," he replied, while reaching into his pocket. Pulling out a single key, he held it in front of her face. "Which is why, I'm setting you free from here."

Knowing there would be a catch to this, Serenity reached out to grab the key, however just like the past attempts, Endymion was always one step ahead. Reeling back his hand, Endymion continued. "I've prepared a room for you. It has a bed, bathroom, a shower, and a change of clothes. However, you cannot leave, unless I or one of my trusted guards gives you permission. Sounds good, doesn't it?"

"So basically, instead of this prison, I get a bed and bath luxury in another prison?"

"I guess if you want to stay here, then be my guest—" Just as Endymion was about to toss the key behind him, Serenity instinctively leapt at him to catch the key before he could throw it. Caught completely off guard this time, Endymion only had time to react by catching her in his arms. Falling back on his bottom with the blonde Princess buried in his arms and chest, the two remained in complete silence for a few moments.

Serenity couldn't believe what had just happened. She felt his arms around her body as her arms rested around his. Her face, thankfully, was buried in his chest armor, as her face was completely burning at this point. The sudden warmth of the Prince shocked and paralyzed her. She was feeling sensations she knew she should not be feeling, especially towards HIM of all people.

Endymion was feeling the same way. She felt wonderful in his arms! "Or perhaps I should just lock you in my room…?" he whispered just quiet enough for her to hear. His low voice brought chills to her ears, yet it shook her out of her trance. Ripping herself away from his grasp, Serenity began to regain her composure. "My my, is it that hard for you to be around me? Do you want me so badly?" he teased, inching closer to her like an animal with its prey. Literally backed into a wall, Serenity was trapped as he moved in closer to her. Throwing her hands up in front of her, Serenity pushed him away.

"No! Stop!" she screamed, clutching at her chest.

"Kidding, kidding," he teased, backing away. "I told you. I like seeing you flustered like that. So, we have a deal, or what?"

Serenity had completely forgotten about that. "Fine. I just hope you know I will one day get out of here, and when I get home, I'll make you pay harder than you've ever paid before," she threatened, and continued to glare at the man in front of her. How dare he tease her like that?! She had more class than that to stoop down to his level. Still, not even she could deny those sensations. 'I would have felt that towards anyone! It's human nature!' But feeling that way towards him made her feel more and more disgusted by the minute.

"Oh, and, Princess, one more thing." He looked into her eyes with complete seriousness, which scared Serenity. "Don't forget you're my prisoner, which means you must do anything and everything I say, clear?"

Serenity scoffed and stared at him in utter shock. "Are you kidding me?! I absolutely refuse!"

"Alright. I guess I'll see you in a few years then." Just as Endymion began to stand up, he turned to her and held out his arms again. Serenity stared up at him with confusion. Disappointed, Endymion sighed. "Hmm, not this time? Fine." Squatting back down, he pulled out the key again and unlocked the chain on her ankle. "Come on, it's better than just staying here." Standing up again, he held out his hand, motioning for her to take it.

Serenity stared up at the hand questioningly, and then up at the Prince. She knew either way it would end up horribly, but at least with the latter she could bathe and have warmth, and it would be easier to escape than in this dungeon. 'But to be his slave?' "You just want to degrade me until there's nothing left, don't you?!" she muttered underneath her breath. "Fine. Just remember what I said before." Reluctantly placing her hand in his, Serenity used her other hand to prop herself off the floor.

Suddenly she felt a hard tug on her hand which pulled her onto her feet and into Endymion's all too familiar embrace. Startled by this attack of emotions, Serenity pushed him away before replaying the previous events. "What are you doing?!" she demanded.

He responded by looming in closer. Backing herself into the wall, she was trapped again. Resting his hand on the wall for support next to her head, the other one snaked around her waist, pressing her petite body against his. A small sound escaped Serenity's voice, as electricity ran down the front of her body as it came into contact with his. How was it possible that this one man could make her body feel like it was on fire?

"Sealing the deal," Endymion replied, before swooping in and crushing her lips beneath his.


	3. Chapter 2

**Prisoner of His Heart**  
Written by: Odango Atama

If you're looking for the original version of the story, you can check my profile. **EDIT**: I've edited this chapter slightly, adding in a few scenes from the original version in. Nothing plot crucial, just doing a bit of revising and editing.

* * *

Endymion didn't know what came over him. One minute he was teasing her, the next minute he was kissing the Princess. He was completely lost in his own world. Staring down the quivering Princess beneath him, he found himself wondering what was it about her that was so attractive? 'Just one taste of her lips… just one,' he thought to himself. Would one kiss hurt? All he wanted to do was taste her. Taste her lips, her mouth... no one had to know. He was he man in charge here, anyways. He had caught Serenity by complete surprise, as a small squeak escaped from the Princess' mouth as he tilted his head slightly and gently moved his lips against hers.

He felt her eyes flutter open with surprise. Initially shocked by this sudden invasion, she struggled against him, but her movement was limited due his hold on her. She was literally, trapped like an animal, and he was the hunter. Her lips were as soft, and sweet as cherries, and Endymion was completely intoxicated by her taste. 'She's a bloody aphrodisiac. A bewitching, teasing, aphrodisiac.' Serenity was beautiful, despite the fact that she was the daughter of his warring nation. As a man, he could not deny his desires. He just wanted to taste the forbidden fruit, that's all. He had the power to, and so nothing could stop him.

The kiss, at first started sweet with gentle brushes and caresses of their lips. His tongue lightly trailed across her bottom lip, evoking yet another small moan from the Princess. The friction of their lips brushing against each other and that sound from her mouth had only fueled the passion and desire building up within him. The beast inside him was hungry. He was completely aroused and turned on each time she twisted, turned and jerked beneath him. Not to mention, her lips were heavenly. 'Oh God, her lips…' He wanted her, and he wanted her now.

He felt her slowly give in, as the struggling began to loosen. Serenity's eyes shut as her body grew completely submissive to him. Endymion took this as a sign. The kiss grew fierce as he began to kiss her harder and deeper, almost as if he were trying to devour her. His tongue, not bothering to ask for permission, invaded her mouth and attacked her tongue passionately. He was slightly surprised that she had let him. 'Not like she could do anything about it anyways.' The feel of her tongue against his, was absolutely erotic. No kiss ever felt like this. No kiss ever felt so fiery, passionate… so, animalistic--

* * *

"O-oi!" King Endymion's hands quickly jumped to cover Small Lady's ears. "Are you sure she should be hearing this?"

"Oh?" Completely caught up in the moment, Neo Queen Serenity tapped her head gently. "Sorry, I guess I just got a little carried away..." Serenity looked up at her husband apologetically. It wasn't her fault, it was his! He was the only man responsible to make her lose her train of thought like that.

"Small Lady, why don't you go ahead and get ready for bed? We'll continue the story after," Endymion ordered. Nodding, and completely confused about what happened, Small Lady hopped off the couch and left the room. Endymion let out a heavy sigh of relief and leaned back into the couch. "Dear, you must be careful..."

"I'm sorry. I couldn't help it! That kiss was amazing..." she argued, while resting her head on his shoulder.

"Well, I do have that effect on you. You know, I vaguely remember these events... why don't you continue the story while Small Lady isn't here?" he asked, with a seductive tone in his voice. Smiling mischievously at him, Serenity giggled.

"Of course, dear."

* * *

Feeling her tremble beneath his grasp, she also loosened up against his hold. The tremble was due to her knees, as Endymion could sense they were shaking. He snaked a leg between hers, holding her for support while continuing to crush her body against his. His hand on the wall traveled to the back of her neck, pressing her harder onto his lips, and also to get better access to her mouth.

His male ego loved every minute of this. Here was the Princess of the Moon, trembling beneath his lips, under his complete control. Not only that, she felt completely wonderful! He was so completely taken in by her. His initial goal was to simply taste her, and here he was, body completely on fire, consuming her. He didn't intend to be turned on so much. Women always turned him on, but not like this... this was different, somehow.

There was nothing better than this.

Not only did he want to taste her, he wanted to have her! Ravish her right in the middle of the room. He didn't care, as long as he could have his way with her. At this moment he could care less whether or not she was a Moon Kingdom royalty descendant.

Endymion knew she was enjoying this just as much as he was. She didn't object to his intrusion of not only her mouth, but her dignity. He continued his forceful penetration of her womanhood as their tongues continued their passionate tango in her mouth. Soon, their breaths were coming short, and they began taking deep and short gasps of air whenever the chance appeared. He was being consumed by the fire of lust and desire, and was loving every minute of it.

All he wanted to do was rip that robe off her body and ravage her.

One hand went back to her neck as his fingers brushed against her silk skin, taking in the sensation of her skin against his. Tracing a finger along her clothed neck, it traveled further down to her chest.

Another moan left her lips. How did those sounds sound so sexy? God, he wanted her so badly. Enough was enough. His hand left the back of her neck and traveled along the front of her body. His hand ventured lower, past her stomach, and down to her legs. He felt her eyes open in shock that his hand was there, but she looked as if she was completely unaware of what would happen. 'So innocent...' he thought to himself.

Endymion opened his eyes and stared mischievously at her. Catching his gaze, Serenity knew he was up to no good and so she tried to push him away, but Endymion would not allow their lips to be pried away. Grunting against his lips, Endymion continued to lap away at her tongue. Distracted by this, Serenity was caught completely off guard when his hand managed to snake its way up her robe and her skirt.

"No!" she screamed, only to have it be muffled against his lips, but his tongue worked its magic on her reasoning and judgment, which happened to just fly out the window at that point. Her breath grew short as his fingers inched up her leg, brushing against her soft inner thighs, reaching closer, and closer, and closer, until…

'Jackpot.'

He finally pried his lips away from hers, as they both began to gasp for air. He glanced over at Serenity, who in the midst of breathing had a look completely consumed of lust. Her eyes occasionally rolled to the top of her head, while her newly freed mouth formed a perfect little 'O' that made Endymion want to attack it all over again. Instead, he settled his attack on her salty neck, lapping at the skin beneath his lips. Every touch would cause her to jump, jerk and moan. If she had known what those moans, jerks and jumps were doing to him right now…

"Prince…" she gasped, clutching onto him for her dear life.

"Serenity..." he whispered. 'My God, she's absolutely in love with this.' What ever happened to the "you arrogant jerk" and "I hate you!"s? He wanted to touch her below the cotton restraints. He looked up at her from her neck and paused for a moment. Would she allow him to…wait, since when did this matter to him?

Her grasp on him tightened when his fingers snuck their way beneath her underwear.

"Ungh...!" Serenity moaned, holding onto him tighter. She was in heaven, pure heaven. The way his fingers felt inside her felt absolutely amazing, and he hadn't even done anything yet! Instinctively, she began to move against his fingers, desperately seeking that pleasure release. At this moment, she didn't care that this was the man she hated. All reason went out the window once he stuck that finger in her.

He hadn't even moved yet, and she was bucking and jerking against him already! 'Looks like the Princess isn't so innocent after all...'

"Prince..." Serenity moaned again. Didn't she know that every time she did that it only fueled him even more?

Filled with more desire and wanting for her body, Endymion withdrew his fingers. Pulling up her brown robe, he took himself away from her neck to pull it over her head. He paused a moment to take in this sight. In her white Princess dress, with her chest heaving up and down, and her cheeks absolutely flushed with lust, pleasure and desire. Her eyes were hazy, as she stared at him, completely lost. "Beautiful..." he whispered beneath his breath. Reaching behind her, he pulled down the zipper. Pushing down the straps of her dress, he reached around again to unclip her bra.

"Prince..." Serenity whispered, clinging harder onto his arms. Every second without him touching her was painful.

He tossed her strapless bra to the side, and watched as her supple breasts bounced after being freed. "Oh Gods…" he whispered, as his mouth devoured her right breast. Serenity clutched at his head, pushing him closer to her.

Serenity gasped for air. Her face clenched and in complete ecstasy, she was loving every minute of this. Degrading or not, it felt absolutely wonderful, for both of them. Just a few more moments, and she would be there. Never had she felt this wonderful in her life! The stories you hear from the women around you compare nothing to actually feeling it. Lonely nights in the bathroom were NOTHING like this. As she ran her fingers through his silky hair, Serenity wished that tongue on her breast would go down somewhere else. 

Endymion's member strained painfully harder against his pants. How he wanted to pull it out and replace his finger with it, and screw her brains out. 'Pull up her robe and pound into her senseless,' he thought. 'Ride the Moon Princess until she begs for more.' The idea of that itself almost made him come in his pants.

"P-prince!" she gasped, clutching harder. She closed her eyes, soaking in the sensations.

"Endymion," he informed, not realizing until now that she had no idea what his name was, and yet they had become so intimate.

"E-Endymion..." she moaned. "Endymion... Endymion, Endymion..." she repeated over and over again. His name just rolled off her tongue.

"Minx," he muttered. "Looks like you're not so innocent after all, by letting your worst enemy do this to you..." he teased.

And then it hit her. It all came crashing down on her at that moment. Where she was, who she was with, what she was doing, what was being done to her... it all hit her. All that reasoning, all her judgment came flying back to her. "Oh, God..." she cried in disgust.

It took a few seconds for Endymion to realize he was playing a one man show. "You've got to be kidding me," Endymion growled in frustration, and pulled away from her. "Right, now you realized who exactly it was you were doing this with?!"

Covering her face in embarrassment with her hands, Serenity slumped to the ground. "No... we did nothing!" she cried in self denial.

"You do realize where my fingers were about 10 seconds ago, right?" Serenity glared up at him in disgust.

"Do you have to be so vulgar?! Don't you realize what just happened should have NEVER EVER happened?" Throwing her head back into her hands, Serenity began to sob uncontrollably. Wincing at the sound of her cries, Endymion sighed in frustration.

'What she said was true... I should be disgusted in the same manner, but I'm not...' Unsure of what that meant, Endymion looked down at the crying Princess. The girl shriveled herself into a ball, crying into her arms. Endymion let out a growl of sexual frustration. This girl was more trouble than she was worth!

Sighing, he squatted down. "Oi. Stop crying. Look, nothing happened. It's not like we had sex, or anything, and you didn't orgasm, so technically nothing really happened except a lot of sweatiness and name calling. Happy?" he asked, hoping to cheer her up. She didn't stop crying, but she did manage to get herself to look at him. Raising her head up, Endymion was caught by surprise by her face brimming with tears. 'Why do I feel so weird?' he wondered. 'She's just crying... what should that matter to me?'

"...you're horrible..." she spoke between sniffles. "Please, just leave me alone," she pleaded, throwing her head back onto her arms.

Endymion stood up and scratched the back of his head. Why was she making it his fault?! "Look, you're equally to blame for this! You didn't pull away or anything, so I took it as a green light and--"

"Shut up!" she yelled, covering her ears with her hands. "You violated me! That's the only reasonable explanation to this!"

"V-violated?!" Endymion sputtered. He wished he could have taken a picture of her face in the throws of exstacy and show it to her. 'Violated, my ass!' "That was NOT a violation. That was you letting me touch you. There was no violation what so ever!"

"Liar! You're just… some sort of sick, disgusting, pervert! There's no way I would ever let someone like YOU touch me!"

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Did she not just experience what just happened? He wanted to touch her again and show just exactly who was violating who, but he backed away from this. It was too frustrating to deal with right now. Shaking his head, he turned around, walking away from her. "Whatever. Believe what you want! Whatever makes you sleep at night!" he yelled over his shoulder.

Slamming the door behind him, Endymion hit the wall with his fist in anger. Were all Moonlings this hard to deal with? How could she turn the tables on him like that?! Running his hand through his hair, he made his way to his room for a long and cold shower.

* * *

"What happened next, what happened next?!" The eager Small Lady exclaimed as she back ran into the room.

King Endymion and Neo Queen Serenity exchanged looks, as she propped herself in between them again.

"Well, after your father kissed me," she continued, "I threw him off. He became so frustrated that I would not kiss him back, that he just ran out there in anger!"

'Ahh yes, the PG-13 version.' King Endymion smiled.

"Luckily, completely out of the blue, I managed to make a friend... a friend who was dear to me, and helped me through some tough times...

* * *

Although it was cold and dark again, Serenity didn't care. She was too embarrassed, humiliated, and disgusted to care. Serenity clung to her robe as she softly sobbed. She knew very well that what had just happened was not against her will at all. Although she did not want it completely, some part of her did, and that disgusted her greatly.

Why did she let him touch her like that? 'It must be the hormones... it's my body's fault! He shouldn't have even kissed me like that... it's all his fault!' she argued with herself. It was anyone's fault except hers! There was no way in her right mind she'd let him.. HIM, of all people, touch her.

"Prince Endymion..." she whispered. She had heard about him from all sorts of people back home. The handsome yet arrogant and cold hearted Prince Endymion was the talk of the town on the Moon. Many feared him and his people, due to their visible and obvious hatred towards her people. Serenity often wondered how someone like him has managed to stay in control for so long over such a beautiful planet. 'It's wrong, is what it is. Someone like him should never be able to rule such a place. It's too good for him!'

As she heard more and more about this Prince, she found her disliking towards him increase by the second. She had heard so many horror stories about how some of her people went missing after transporting to the Earth. Rumors were that they were executed under the hands of Prince Endymion. 'How could someone be so cold hearted?! Moonlings or not, they're people too...!' She knew somehow or another, she had to free this planet from this wretched ruler.

'Maybe that's why I ended up here... I kept thinking about him, and so the spell brought me here...' But now, all she wanted to do now was go home, and see her mother. Rubbing her cold arms, Serenity suddenly remembered. 'Wasn't I supposed to be moved from here?' Did the Prince suddenly change his mind? Although she hated him, she didn't want to spend any more time in the dungeon. It was freezing, damp, and reminded her too much of what had happened.

She blushed as she recalled the earlier events. She tried to shake his soft and gentle kisses and his light brushes and touches out of her head, but it was all she could think of. His lips crushing hers, his skin rubbing against hers, and his fingers... his fingers-

* * *

"Fingers?" Small Lady inquired. "What did he do with his--"

"Fingers?! Oh, I meant... singers! Your father makes a really good singer!" Neo Queen Serenity fibbed completely unaware she had slipped up in front of her daughter. "Yes, and so, your serenading father was a great kisser, and singer!"

Shaking his head, King Endymion sighed. "Just continue the story.

* * *

Shaking her head vigorously, Serenity tried to block the images out of her head. 'No, no more! No more thinking about his wonderful singing voice!' Wiping away the last of her tears, Serenity vowed never to waste another drop or thought on him.

Suddenly, the door to the dungeon swung open. Serenity's eyes immediately went to its direction, while her arms wrapped around her chest. 'It's not the Prince again, is it?!'

"Princess?" a woman's voice called. It sounded like a young woman, at least. Serenity could not make out the figure standing in the door way, but it definitely was not Endymion. "Princess Serenity?" she called again.

'Should I answer?' Serenity decided to remain silent. Everyone around her was not to be trusted. Then, the room filled with light as the woman flicked on the switch.

Standing at the doorway was a girl who looked only a few years older than she did. She had chestnut brown hair which was fashioned in a single bun near the top of her head. In a modest maid's uniform, she had a soft face with a comforting smile. "Ahh, there you are. My name is Alani, and I'm here to show you to your room."

Serenity remained still. Her voice was so soft and very feminine. The girl sounded nice... but was that really who she was? She reminded her of her own maids back home. The girl even addressed her as Princess Serenity! Could it be that somewhere in this palace, she managed to find one person who didn't find the Moon Kingdom revolting?

As if she was listening to her own thoughts, Alani spoke up again. "Don't worry. Endymion sent me here for a reason. It seems I'm the only one in this castle that tolerates your kind," she explained. Coming closer, Alani crouched down to her level, and smiled again. "I'm here to take you to your room," she repeated.

How could this woman work in the palace if she truly felt that way? 'Her nice act could still be a trick...' But never the less, she had to escape from this room. Alani extended her hand to her in a similar fashion as Endymion had. Knowing the last time lead to a messy situation, Serenity shook her head. "I can stand up on my own, thanks," she replied, while thrusting herself off the floor.

"I understand. It's hard to believe that someone like me could exist in this hateful castle, but I'm really who I am I am," she reassured. "Let's go. This place really gives me the creeps!" Standing up again, Alani turned on her heel and the two made their way out of the dungeon.

'At least we agree on one thing...' Serenity told herself as she followed Alani. Hoping to never return, Serenity gladly shut the door behind her.

* * *

"Here we are, Princess," Alani greeted, as she opened the door. "It might not be what you're used to, but anything is better than that rotten old dungeon."

Serenity paused at the doorway as she took in the room in front of her. The room was exactly that: a small room consisting of a single white bed, a desk and one window. There was a door on the left wall, which Alani said lead to her bathroom. Growing up in a royalty environment, this type of room was a definite downgrade to what she was usually accustomed to, but as Alani said, anything was better than that dungeon. And Serenity was taught to be thankful for what she received, and so...

"It's perfect," Serenity chimed, stepping through the door way.

"As you know, you are restricted to this room only. The lock on the door is on the other side, so only Endymion or I can enter your room," Alani explained. "Don't worry Princess, I'll give you your privacy, and I will only enter when needed."

Serenity hung her head in disappointment as she took a seat on her bed. "Too bad your Prince doesn't share your views."

"Is Endymion giving you a tough time? Just do what I do, and give him a swift kick in the ass!" Alani exclaimed, throwing her fist in the air.

There was something odd about this girl. Since when did anyone have the guts to talk about the Prince like that? And why did she call him "Endymion"? But at least she was on her side, sort of.

"That guy can be really tough to handle sometimes, but deep down he's a great person."

Serenity scoffed. 'A Great person?! You've got to be kidding me.' "Seems like you and I have different views of the Prince."

"Oh, that's not true. I think he's a womanizing ass, who needs to get thrown off his high horse."

"W-what?" Serenity sputtered.

"But... deep down, Endymion is a really sweet person. You just need to get past all the womanizing, and the arrogance, and the cockiness, and the ignorance, and the... well, pretty much everything. It's just most people find it to be not worth the trouble." Alani pulled out the chair at the desk, and took a seat.

"Was it worth it for you?" Serenity asked. Alani looked over at her and sighed.

"Of course. He's like a brother to me." Serenity watched Alani as she reminisced. It made her curious about their relationship. How was their relationship become so good? How could she put up with someone like that? "So don't feel bad if you like him. He's really a nice guy!"

"W-what?!" Serenity's burned red. "Me?! Like... him?!! You've got to me kidding me! I hate him..! Hate him to his very core!"

"Yeah, that's how it always starts out. Then you start to notice things, you never noticed before, and before you know it, you're in love."

"Is that how it was with you?" Alani looked at Serenity with surprise. "Well, you have this look in your eyes whenever you talk about him, and..." Serenity paused as Alani stood up from her seat. "A-Alani?"

"Dinner will be at eigh. I'll drop by with a change of clothes."

"Dinner?" Serenity asked.

"Yes. Dinner, with Endymion," Alani explained.

"What?!!" Serenity screeched as she shot up from bed. "I absolutely... _absolutely_ refuse to sit down with him and eat! I'd rather STARVE! Who does he think he is?! Demanding dinner after he--" She paused.

"After he...?" Alani asked.

"...after he... he.. he threw me into that dungeon! And he's my worst enemy! I absolutely refuse, _absolutely_ refuse!" Stomping on the ground like a little child, Serenity crossed her arms across her chest, making a firm stance. 'That's right, Serenity. Make your stand! Show exactly who is a prisoner of whom!'

"You might as well give in now. Endymion pretty much gets anything he wants, but, I'll deliver the news to him."

"Good!" Just as Alani began to walk towards the door, Serenity looked at her over her shoulder. "Hey, thanks for... not hating me," she smiled. "It's nice to have someone on my side."

"Let's just make this clear. If it comes down to choosing between you and my kingdom, I will definitely choose my Kingdom," Alani corrected. "However, the difference between me and the others is, I will not make that choice unless needed." Smiling, Alani shut the door softly behind her.

Falling backwards onto the bed, Serenity shut her eyes. "Dinner?! Who does he think he is? I'm not even hungry, whatsoever!"

Her stomach grumbled.

Rubbing it, Serenity sighed. 'Maybe a little...' Hoping to get at least some shut eye, she threw herself under the covers, praying and hoping that she'd wake up from this horrible dream.

* * *

Neo Queen Serenity looked at the clock. "Small Lady, I think it's time for you to sleep."

"Can we continue this story tomorrow? Please?" Small Lady pleaded.

"Of course, of course. We'll see you in the morning." The small child kissed her two parents on the cheek before walking out the room towards her bedroom. Yawning, Neo Queen Serenity stretched her weary arms. Her voice and body were spent telling the story, and they weren't even halfway there.

Just as she was about to get up, King Endymion wrapped his arms around her waist and pushed her down on the couch. "Endymion! What are you--"

"Let's continue that scene in the dungeon, shall we?" he whispered seductively in her ear. Giggling, Serenity nodded.

"Yes, let's do that."


	4. Chapter 3

**Prisoner of His Heart  
**Written by: Odango Atama

Sorry it took a while, but I had to re-write a few scenes that didn't bode so well. This chapter isn't too different from the original one, but it's more subtle than the original version.

* * *

"Mama? Papa?"

Still in the mists of sleep and drowsiness, the young voice belonging to the impatient Small Lady did not reach Neo Queen Serenity. Too comfortable that she did not want to awaken just yet, Serenity continued to unconsciously zone out the voice which called out to her.

"Mama," she called again. Then she tugged. After no response, she tugged harder. Frustrated, she resorted to drastic measures, and shouted at the top of her lungs, "MAMA!"

The sudden noise startled Serenity, causing her to jerk upright and her eyes to shoot wide open. 'What the hell was that noise?!' As her vision slowly came into focus, her gaze met with two large, round, shining red eyes, staring up her so innocently and adorably. The young face looked inquisitively at her, as a stuffed white bunny rested comfortably in her arms. As Serenity's brain began to function again, she was able to recognize just who it was that face belonged to.

"Small Lady," Serenity half groaned, half greeted. "If you wanted me to wake up, please be a bit more gentle on the ears..."

"I've been calling you for the past 10 minutes!" Small Lady complained. Yawning, Serenity grudgingly held out her hand and patted her daughter on the head.

"Sorry, Small Lady. How about we go and wake your father up then?"

"I think Papa is awake now..."

"Why would you think that?" Serenity asked.

Then, she felt the 'pillow' which her open palms rest on slowly rose and fall, in perfect motion to breathing. Wiggling her fingers, she noticed this 'pillow' was warm, hard, and... slightly chiseled. And then it hit her.

She wasn't lying on any pillow.

Looking beneath her, she saw another familiar face looking straight up at her, with a droopy and drowsy look. Looking behind her, she saw his hands resting comfortably on her waist.

And then, it hit her again.

Frantically, she looked down at her legs, which were straddled around his waist.

"Good morning dear," Endymion chimed, with a smug look on his face. Frantic, Serenity untangled her legs around him and dove off the couch. Landing painfully and ungracefully on her face, Serenity groaned as Endymion and Small Lady looked down at her, confused.

"Small Lady, go to your bedroom, and your mother and I will meet you there," Endymion smiled at his daughter, as she nodded and ran out the room. Peering over the couch at his face vaulting wife, Endymion couldn't help but hold back a chuckle.

"Well, excuse me for trying to save our daughter's innocence," Serenity muttered, propping herself up. Rubbing her red cheek, Serenity winced when it burned.

"Come, let's go get you some ice," he offered, as he stood up from the couch. Holding out his hand for her, she placed hers in it and he pulled her up gently. Making their way to the kitchen, Endymion scratched the back of his head. "What time is it anyways?" he asked.

Serenity glanced up at the clock on the wall. "Well, what do you know. It's the afternoon right now."

Opening the freezer, Endymion chuckled. "Last night was pretty tiring."

They both paused, reminiscing the events that occurred that night.

Endymion approached her with a bag of ice in his hand. Slowly bringing it to her swollen cheek, he pressed the bag gently against her skin, while the other hand held the other side of her face. "Feel better?" he asked, concerned.

"Mmhmm," she hummed, gazing into his eyes. She loved his eyes.

His thumb stroked her cheek lovingly. And she loved his hands.

Putting the bag of ice aside on the kitchen counter, Endymion loomed in and pulled her in for a kiss. Oh yeah, she loved his lips too. Pressing her against the wall, Serenity smiled against his lips. Oh, how she loved him so...

Completely lost in his world, somewhere at the back of her mind, Serenity knew she was forgetting something.

Meanwhile, in her room, Small Lady tapped her foot impatiently. "Where are they?!"

* * *

It was only a few minutes before dinner was almost done being prepared. Head against the chair head rest, Prince Endymion closed his eyes, letting the warmth of the crackling fireplace sooth his body. After a long, and stressful day, a moment in front of a warm fire was all he needed.

"_P-prince!" she gasped, clutching harder_.

The flashback made his eyes open wide. 'Why am I remembering her?' Shaking his head, he closed his eyes again, hoping to obtain that momentary peace he had earlier.

_"Ungh, harder..." she pleaded._

Shooting up from his seat, Endymion growled in frustration. He had spent a good hour in the bathroom underneath the cold shower trying to rid her from his mind, AND body. Who would have thought one little action would bring way more trouble than he needed. He still couldn't believe she put blame on him. The women he had before were never like this!

'It has to be a Moonling thing... it just has to be.' Shaking his head again, Endymion rubbed his hand on his face. But even though she was a Moonling, he couldn't stop himself from touching her. There was something about her, something that interested him. She was supposed to be the epitome of everything he and his planet hated, and yet all he could think about was slamming her against the wall, and in the non violent sense.

Resting an arm against the shelf above the fireplace, Endymion stared intently at the flickering blaze beneath him.

_"E-Endymion..." she moaned. "Endymion... Endymion, Endymion..."_

Looking at his watch, Endymion tapped his foot impatiently against the rug. "Where the hell is she, anyways?" It took him a lot of convincing to allow the Princess to eat with him. He had to convince his generals, his guards, and even his kitchen staff that if she didn't eat, she would die, and if she died, Queen Serenity would come down and beat all their asses. Of course, he wanted the Princess there for another reason.

To find out what the hell happened in that dungeon.

Suddenly, a woman entered the room and approached him. Glancing to her direction, Endymion frowned. "Alani? What are you doing here?"

A hand at her hip, Alani smirked. "Nice to see you too, Endymion."

"You know that's not what I meant. Weren't you supposed to help the Princess prepare for dinner?" He sent Alani for a reason which was that Alani was the only person in this castle that gave a crap about Moonlings.

"Yeah, about that... the Princess is... allergic to all seafood, so.. she won't be coming out for dinner tonight," she replied, a bit too dragged on for Endymion's liking.

"Really? That's funny, because we're having chicken."

"Damn. I was _sure_ today was seafood," Alani muttered under her breath. "When I meant seafood, I really wanted to say chicken!" Endymion stared at her sternly. She knew he wasn't buying this. "Look, she's not coming," she finally admitted. "She's really tired, and just not in the mood for food--"

"God damnit," he cursed. "Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you women?!" he snarled, slamming his palm onto his forehead. "She's acting as if I raped her, or something."

"Ahah! You did touch her!" Alani exclaimed, extending an accusing finger at him. "Geeze, Endy, can you go without touching a woman?"

"Hey, keep it down, and don't call me Endy," he ordered. "We're not kids anymore." Rubbing the back of his neck in annoyance, Endymion heaved a heavy sigh. "She's easy on the eyes, okay? It's not like I'm in love with her, or anything," he replied in defense. "I just don't get why she's angry at me. She wasn't exactly putting up a fight."

Realizing that this poor man, who although had handled so many women in his life time, never really understood them at all. Alani walked up to him, and grabbed him by the back of his collar, pulling him away from the fireplace. "Go apologize," she ordered. "Then maybe she'll come to dinner."

"A-a-pologize? Pfft," Endymion spat, releasing himself from her hold. "Please, I'm Prince Endymion! I apologize to no one. She's my prisoner, she has to do what I say."

Alani shrugged her shoulders in defeat. "Whatever you say, Endy."

Endymion sent her a quick glare before exiting the room.

* * *

**BANG BANG BANG**

"Ungh... oh, God... Prince..." .

**BANG BANG BANG**

"Yes...!"

**BANG BANG BANG**

"...P-prince!"

"Serenity..." Endymion whispered, kissing her neck.

**BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG**

"Ungh, oh God, yes..."

"S-serenity?" Endymion whispered, his voice husky and rasp.

**BANG BANG BANG**

"Mmmhmm?" Half moan, half mummer. Serenity closed her eyes, holding onto him for her dear life.

**BANG BANG BANG**

"Maybe you should answer that."

* * *

And with that, Serenity's eyes shot abruptly open. Confused, she looked around at her dark surroundings. 'Where am I?' It was then she noticed her current predicament.

She just had a sex dream, about the Prince!

**BANG BANG BANG**

Her eyes darted towards the door as the source of the all too familiar loud banging. Remembering the dream, Serenity's face flushed with embarrassment and she quickly removed her hands from their previous places.

"Oi! Open the door!" A voice demanded from behind the door.

Knowing she could not deal with him, especially now, Serenity booked it towards the bathroom. While furiously scrubbing her hands with soap, she was thankful she decided to prop a chair up next to the door handle before she went to bed to prevent the Prince from entering her room when he pleased. 'If he caught me doing what I did... Oh, he'd never live it down!'

She rubbed harder.

Suddenly, she heard a large thud, followed by the sound of a very vulgar curse. 'What? Don't tell me that idiot broke the door down?!'

It was only moments until the familiar banging sound proceeded on her bathroom door. She was again thankful that Endymion didn't have a key to the bathroom, at least.

"Open the door!" Endymion yelled, continuing to pound the door with his fist. Each slam of the fist caused Serenity to remember her dream, which made her not want to open the door even more.

"Go away!" she yelled back. "Geeze, what did you do, break down the door?!"

"I'll break down this door too if you don't come out!" he threatened. If this door was broken, she'd have no where to hide from him. Looking up at the mirror, she quickly fixed her disheveled hair.

'He must never find out about this...' she told herself. Wiping her hands on a nearby towel, Serenity took a deep breath before opening the bathroom door.

Staring down at her was a tall, angry and frustrated man. His raven hair was messed up due to running his hands through it constantly, and his eyes narrowed into a glare. "Did I say you could put that chair there?! I almost pulled out my shoulder taking down that door!"

Placing on her firmest look possible in this type of situation, Serenity made sure to avoid his eyes. "I had to protect myself. Who knows what you would have done in my sleep?!" She was relieved that she was the only one who sensed the irony in that statement.

"For the last time--wait, you know what, I don't want to even argue about it anymore. I'm tired, and hungry, so, let's go," he said, while grabbing her wrist.

Feeling her face flush up from the contact of his large hand around her tiny wrist, Serenity pulled it away from him. "Where are you taking me?!"

Sighing with frustration, Endymion rubbed his face with his hand again. "Dinner, you idiot. I'm hungry!" Reaching for her wrist again, he missed when Serenity backed away faster than he could grab her hand.

"Are you kidding? I'm not eating with you!" 'Especially not after I had that dream of you!' Shaking her head, Serenity kept her wrists close to her chest. "Who knows what poison you'll put in my food, which actually, seems not to bad compared to having to sit and have dinner with Prince Satan himself!"

That angered him, greatly. Serenity watched his face turn red, and not the good kind, the angry kind. His fist clenched at the side, Endymion was too frustrated to deal with her like this. "You know what, fine. If you're not going to eat with me, then you just won't eat at all!!"

"Fine!" she yelled back. And with that, Endymion stormed off in a fury, slamming the bathroom door behind him. Serenity winced when she heard the other door slam, louder with a vengeance. She must have really hit a chord, this time. 'Good riddens! Something must be terribly wrong with me... to have a dream about HIM.'

Vowing to ultimately forget about that nightmare, Serenity exited the bathroom. Relieved that Endymion only managed to break the lock (and chair) and that the door was still intact, she let out a sigh. 'If he had broken that door down, who knows what people could have come into her room at night and tried to kill her?'

Taking a seat on her bed, Serenity knew that she would regret declining dinner, especially when her stomach hungered for food so greatly. 'But there's no way I can face him, especially now.' Pulling the covers over her head, Serenity curled into the fetal position, making sure to keep her hands away from those places at all times.

* * *

He couldn't believe the audacity of that woman! 'Refusing dinner with me! Do you know how many women would love that chance, and there she goes, throwing it away!'

Endymion had finished dinner hours ago, but sleep would not greet him today. Almost close to 1AM, Endymion knew this would be a long night. Pulling the covers off his body, Endymion stared up at the ceiling above him. 'Honestly, that girl gets me so riled up... It's a shame that she's gorgeous.' Rubbing his temple with his fingers, Endymion felt that throbbing pain in his head go away slightly.

Instead of dinner with Serenity, he ate with Alani, who would just not wipe that smug grin off her face.

_"So instead of apologizing, you decided to sentence her to death by starvation? That's a sheer way to get into her pants!" Alani joked._

_"Shut up! I don't even want to get in her pants, anymore. It's just not worth it," Endymion grumbled, chewing distastefully on his food. "Not that I couldn't get in her pants. I could get in her pants any day!"_

_"Oh please, women aren't easy as you think they are. Well, I guess you would think that, considering you only go after easy women..."_

_"Oi," Endymion put his fork down. "I choose my women tastefully," he defended._

_"...and so when one of them puts up a fight, you throw in the towel, and whine about how 'Oh, she's so tough to handle! Wah, Wah, Wah, she won't listen to my every word, wah wah wah--'" Alani was cut short when a piece of steak bounced off her head. Holding back a snicker, Endymion quickly put down his spoon. "Endy, didn't anyone ever tell you that throwing your food around was rude?"_

_"Shut up. I don't even want her anymore. She's a Moonling! I must have just got caught up in hormones, or something."_

_"Whatever you say, Endy."_

Sighing, Endymion wondered himself if that was even true. Closing his eyes would not stop the image of Serenity from appearing. Smiling at him, glaring at him, yelling at him... moaning his name and holding onto his arms as if her legs had turned into putty... No matter how much he told herself she wasn't worth the trouble, that image of her pleasure-filled face always made him think otherwise.

'Women,' he cursed. Sighing, Endymion propped himself up from bed. 'If I don't want her, then how come I can't stop thinking about her?'

His stomach took this appropriate moment to remind him that he was still hungry. Rubbing it with annoyance, Endymion threw his legs over the bed and got up. 'Maybe I can get something quickly from the kitchen.'

As he made his way through the halls of the castle to the kitchen, he paused when he saw a small light come from the dark kitchen room. Pressing himself to the wall to hide, Endymion's eyes narrowed towards the door. 'Burglar? What would they want in the kitchen?' Slowly and stealthily, he strode towards the door.

Endymion jumped at the sudden noise of pots clanging against each, and what sounded like a plastic bowl falling on the floor, followed by a very angry, "Damnit!" which were then followed by several other curses. Relieved, Endymion knew whoever this person is was probably just as hungry as he was and wanted a midnight snack.

Comfortably walking to the door, he opened it, expecting to see some guard, or servant digging his face in the fridge, but instead he found someone else.

On her knees in front of the open fridge, Serenity, looking like a deer caught in headlights, froze in shock. "What are you doing here?! Didn't I say you couldn't eat?!" he bellowed furiously.

"P-Prince?! What.. why aren't you sleeping?" With no response, Endymion stomped over to her and grabbed her forcefully by the wrist. "O-oi! That hurts!"

Yanking her up to her feet, Endymion grabbed the plate of meat buns away from her. "What did I say?! If you're not going to eat with me, you're not going to eat at all! How did you get out anyways?"

Unable to sleep due to her hunger, Serenity woke up half past midnight. Remembering that Endymion had broken the lock on her door earlier, she managed to find her way to the kitchen to hopefully find something to eat. Knowing that everyone would probably be sleeping by now, she did her best to stay quiet and stealth, but since she was in the dark most of the time she must have made enough noise to stir the Prince up.

"Well, some idiot broke the lock on my door and forgot to get it fixed," she replied scornfully. He paused for a moment. Remembering the earlier events, Endymion realized he must have forgotten when he stormed off.

"Well, idiot or not, you're going back to your room." As he tugged on her wrist, Serenity pulled back and removed his hold on her. "Oi. You seem to have forgotten your role here. You, are a prisoner," he reminded, emphasizing the point by poking her in the shoulder. "Me, I'm your master, meaning you listen to what I say, got it?"

Serenity scowled at him. "I'm nobody's prisoner," she informed. "You can say what you want to say, but I belong to me, and me only!" Crossing her arms in defiance across her chest, her eyes met with his for a brief moment, before she quickly looked away flustered once she began to remember her dream. Endymion placed the plate on the nearby kitchen island.

"You don't seem to understand the situation here." Crossing his arms across his chest in a similar fashion, he took a step forward. "See, dear Princess, you are trapped here, in a world that wouldn't think twice about killing you," he explained. "In fact, the only reason you are alive is because of me."

She continued to avoid his gaze, knowing that he was arrogantly right. If he wasn't there, she would have surely been executed. 'Not that it doesn't make it just. He's the reason WHY people are being executed and why this whole silly war is still continuing!' "I don't owe you anything. You seem to forget that the only reason why you kept me alive was to ransom me off to my own mother! Why should I be grateful to you?"

"I'm not asking for appreciation. I'm asking for co-operation. YOU stumbled in MY territory." Endymion took a step forward. Feeling uneasy by the lack of distance between them, Serenity took one step backwards. "You're in my house, under my rules, which means I own you."

Serenity scoffed, unable to believe this man actually thought he owned her! "The reason WHY I'm under your stupid little roof is because you're forcing me here against my will!" Taking a confident step forward, it was Serenity's turn to poke him in the shoulder in a condescending manner. "So until I find a way out of here, I'm NOT being your slave."

Endymion pushed her hand aside. "Please. You'll never find a way out of here. The moment you step outside, there'll be alarms blaring throughout the entire castle and more guards than you can count. Besides, even if you DID somehow manage to get out the castle, good luck escaping the surrounding forest. You know, I think a Moonling tried to escape once and got lost in there a few weeks ago. Probably starved to death, or was killed by the animals. They're not very nice to Moonlings either, you know."

With a smug look on his face, Serenity became infuriated. Bringing her arm back, she swung it forward, opening her palm and aiming it at his face. However, Endymion was quicker, as he intercepted her slap by grabbing her by the wrist. Making sure there would be no other sneak attacks, he grabbed the other wrist with his other hand. "You bastard!" she screamed, struggling hard against his grip. "You're a cold hearted bastard!"

"So what?" he mocked. "Your people deserved it."

"We did nothing!"

Endymion laughed. "Is that what your mother told you? That your kingdom was all about rainbows and butterflies, and we were the big bad wolf that blew your house down? Stop struggling!" he commanded, tightening his grip on her wrists. She yelped in pain, amazed at how much he was actually hurting her. "Your parents weren't always so peaceful. Ask them what happened sixteen years ago," he challenged. "Then you'll see they're not as sweet and loving as you thought they were. Well, that is, IF you ever see them again."

Serenity was confused. 'Sixteen years ago? I was only two at that time... but I don't remember anything drastic that happened. He has to be lying!' "I hate you," she spat, continuing to struggle against him. "I would have remembered if something happened then!"

Suddenly, his entire face darkened, sending chills down her spine. "I remember," he replied. His voice didn't have that mocking tone it had earlier. For some reason, he all of a sudden became dead serious, and a little frightening. "I'll remember that day until the day I die."

That's when things started getting scary. His hold on her wrists tightened so hard, she felt her hands start to tingle from the lack of circulation. "Hey, you're really hurting my wrists," she informed, hoping that she was just imagining things. Like how all of a sudden his hands became vices on her wrists. Something must have happened on that day that really hurt him, but what?

"That's what I hate about you Moonlings. You go around acting like you're martyrs, or bloody saints. Just because you have the Ginzuishou, you think you can walk around with your head up in the clouds?! You think you have that right?!" he asked, yelling loudly in her face. Serenity winced, both in pain and from being scared.

"Let go of me! You're hurting me!" she cried. But Endymion was done playing. He continued to move forward, backing her completely into the wall behind her, pinning her wrists next to her head. Bumping into the wall, Serenity squeaked as she was caught by surprise about how much he had gotten her to move. Like an animal backed into a caged corner, Serenity began to panic, especially since something like this had happened before.

But this time was different. She was scared and frightened now. Although she was before, it wasn't the same. Before, he had a playful and smug look on his face, but now, it was fierce, bitter, and dark.

"P-prince, you're scaring me," she spoke quietly.

"Gee, do you think I care?!" he roared in her face. "Did you not just hear what I said? Don't you remember that I HATE your kind? Don't you remember I sentenced several of your people to death? Do you understand now, Princess? Do you understand your role now?" he asked, while leaning in and bringing his face closer to hers. "Do you?"

Serenity inched her face away from his, wincing. Unsure if this was the real Prince Endymion or not, she was sure as hell not ready to find out. "Let go of me," she pleaded. She continued to struggle once more, but it was no use. He was really going to hurt her, and there was no way out.

And then at her moment their eyes met. Serenity didn't look away, and neither did Endymion. Her eyes weren't the shy ones he had seen earlier. They were shaking in fear, and almost brimming with tears. She looked frantic, uneasy, uncomfortable, and threatened. And at that moment, Endymion knew something inside of him didn't feel right. Like when he saw his guards take her away after knocking her unconscious, or after the look she gave him in the dungeon when she pulled away from him. Endymion grew infuriated by this. Why did he feel like this?! Why did he feel guilt for hurting a Moonling?! 'They don't deserve guilt. They're horrible, horrible creatures...'

Confused, Endymion's brow furrowed. "Why...? Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked.

"You're scaring me, Prince, that's why." Not daring to look away, she looked him straight in the eyes, searching for that once cocky and arrogant Prince Endymion that was no longer in front of her. "Is this the real you, Prince? Because if it is, you're more frightening than I thought you would be."

"I don't need your patronizing, especially from you. You and your kind disgust me," he spat, his voice coarse and dark. "You Moonlings walk around as if you own the galaxy. You seem to forget just who revolves around who. Especially YOU. I mean, you act so innocent, yet you let your worst enemy touch you. Then you turn around and cry wolf."

"Shut up. That was a mistake that will NEVER happen again." 'As long as I find a way out of here.' "Please, just let go.. I'm really scared right now."

"And that!" He moved his face so close to hers that he was literally only a few millimeters away. "I should hate you with my every being. You literally stand for everything that I hate in life. The daughter of our enemy. The heir to our warring nation. Getting rid of you would solve the majority of my problems. I should kill you, is what I should do."

"Kill?" Serenity choked. The last part came out so quietly that she wasn't even sure she had heard him properly. 'He's really a psychopath!' However, the look in his eyes changed. Faintly in the background of his cerulean eyes, she could swear she saw some sort of spark. His facial expression softened, and his hold on her wrists loosened greatly. His head fell onto her shoulder, catching Serenity by surprise. "P-prince?" she asked, unsure of what just happened.

"That's how I should feel, right?"

"Prince?"

"...so why don't I hate you?" he asked aloud.

Still unsure of what was happening, Serenity looked down at him in concern. One minute he was scaring the wits out of her, and now.. he was.. well, she wasn't really sure what he was doing right now. But his question rang throughout her head. He didn't hate her? 'He's right.. he should hate me, just as I should hate him, which I do... right?'

"Why don't I want to kill you? How come I don't hate you? And why can't I stop thinking about you...?" he confessed. Raising his head from her shoulder, he moved in and rested his forehead on hers. Serenity blushed at this. She could feel her heart beat racing, as well as his. "That's not how I should feel about you, isn't it?"

"I-I... I don't know, P-prince..." she whispered, staring at his lips which were so close to hers, they were almost touching.

"You hate me, right?"

"...yeah, I do." 'I hate him.. right?'

She had to fight herself from moving her face forward.

"Yeah, I know you do." Serenity could hear the pain in his voice. "Something must be wrong with me. Lusting after the Moon Princess like a schoolboy... something must be terribly wrong with me."

Serenity gulped. "L-lust? You're... you're lusting after me?" she asked quietly. Endymion opened his eyes, and simply just stared into hers, with no response. Looking at his eyes hidden beneath his lashes, Serenity felt herself becoming lost. Her heart continued to race rapidly. Licking her lips, Serenity wanted to kiss him. Her lips yearned to touch his. Whatever he was doing right now, she found herself becoming more attracted to him than ever.

"Yeah..." he said, his voice reduced to a whisper. "...I think I am..."

Serenity couldn't stand it anymore. Not with him looking at her like that, and not with him saying those things to her. Throwing caution to the wind, she was about to press her lips on his, but Endymion pulled away all together from her before she had the chance. Stunned, Serenity stood there, absolutely confused.

"I'm going to head back now. Can you manage your way back?" he asked.

"Err, yeah.. I think I can," she replied. Her body felt cold once Endymion pulled away from her. 'What just happened?'

"Okay. I'll see you in the morning, then." He looked up at her briefly, before turning around and walking away.

Serenity watched him as he left the room, completely confused of what just happened. 'I can't believe I was about to kiss him!' Scratching her head with frustration, Serenity sighed. 'Is what he said true? Does he really not hate me? Then does that mean I don't hate him too?' Shaking her head, she lightly knocked her head with her knuckles. 'Of course I hate him! I wasn't about to kiss him, nor do I have any warm feelings towards him. He's a lunatic psychopath!'

_"Yeah..." he said, his voice reduced to a whisper. "...I think I am..." _

_"Serenity..." Endymion whispered, kissing her neck._

Her face instantly became warm from remembering the passionate dream she had. Shaking her head vigorously, she hoped to finally rid her head of that dream. 'No more dreaming of him! Or thinking about him! He's your worst enemy... leave it at that!' Determined to get a good night's sleep, she grabbed the nearby plate of steamed buns and made her way back to her room.


	5. Chapter 4

**Prisoner of his Heart  
**Written by: Odango Atama

I had a bit more free time than I expected due to this being only the first week of school, so I wrote this up. I have a feeling school will start picking up soon, so expect chapter five to appear in the next few weeks. I had a bit of trouble editing this chapter to post on As you can tell, this story is very sexual, so making it friendly" is posing to be a bit difficult. Still, I tried to keep it in the areas of what you would see in a 14A movie/TV show, so hopefully it turned out fine! Thanks for reading, and please enjoy this chapter! Don't forget to leave a review when you're done, it really helps a lot!

* * *

The morning sun shined brightly through the window, blanketing it's morning glow over the sleeping form of the Moon Princess. Curled up comfortably beneath her warm blanket, Serenity fought hard to ignore the sun's warm, beaming rays that she could feel over her closed eyes. 'Just a few more minutes of sleep,' she told herself while turning on her side in an attempt to hide away from the sun. After last night's fiasco, all she wanted was a bit more time to hope and pray that when she did wake up, she would be home on the Moon and in her bed. Not in some unknown room and in a castle where it was every person's wish that she stayed asleep, permanently. 

And of course, away from the sex-crazed Prince that took every opportunity to torment her, mentally and physically.

_"Something must be wrong with me. Lusting after the Moon Princess like a schoolboy..."_

Pulling the blanket up to cover her blushing cheeks, Serenity tried to flush Endymion out of her head. 'Sleep, sleep. I want to sleep.'

_"Why don't I want to kill you? How come I don't hate you? And why can't I stop thinking about you...?" _

"Damnit," she cursed. Knowing that waking up was inevitable, Serenity sighed in defeat. Lying flat on her back she slowly opened her eyes, finally allowing reality to sink in when she didn't find herself at home. She was still in the castle, still on everyone's death list, and still in danger from the sex-crazed Prince.

It had only been a day and already, things were complicated with him. Prince Endymion doesn't hate her; in fact, he felt the exact opposite towards her. Serenity, on the other hand, thought she hated Endymion, but after almost kissing him last night, she began to think otherwise. 'Do I hate him? Do I like him? Or am I just feeling all these wrong, lusty feelings for him?' She shook her head. 'No, I definitely hate him. Hate him with every fiber of my being... but then why am I attracted to him? Am I attracted to him?' Bolting upright, she tapped her head softly with her knuckles. 'No more thinking about this!' The more she thought about it, the more frustrated and messed up things became. 'I will no longer think of the Prince for the rest of the day!'

Her bedroom door suddenly swung open, startling Serenity. "Rise and shine, Princess!" A voice proclaimed from the doorway.

Her eyes immediately flew towards the door, dilating in both shock and embarrassment. Standing in the doorway was no other than the devil himself. In his usual armor uniform, Prince Endymion leaned comfortably against the door railing. Arms folded across his chest, he smiled so confidently and smugly, Serenity began to wonder if that vulnerable version she saw last night was even the Prince at all. 'Please tell me he has a twin brother. That would explain everything. Not to mention, it'd make things a whole lot easier.'

Looking uncomfortably to the side, Serenity hoped that he would notice her flaring cheeks. "W-what do you w-want?" she asked, as calmly as she could, but unable to hide the stuttering.

"Well, considering that it's almost noon and you, my dear, have been sleeping soundly like a baby for the past eleven hours," Pushing himself off the railing, he walked into the room, shutting the door behind him. Serenity tensed slightly since being trapped with Prince Endymion always lead to trouble. "I was worried you might actually forget you are a prisoner of this castle, not a guest," he clarified.

Serenity desperately tried to avoid his eyes as he approached her. 'As long as I do that, I should be okay.' The weight of the bed shifted slightly when Endymion sat himself down on the bed by her legs. Taking every precaution necessary she pulled her legs up close to her body. She noticed him eying her suspiciously, and hoped he hadn't noticed what she did.

Unfortunately, he did. "Princess, are you afraid of me?" he asked in a mocking tone.

"Of course not! W-what makes you think t-that?!" Eyes still resting on the wall next to her, Serenity could feel his eyes piercing her. 'Ignore it, ignore it, ignore it...'

"Don't worry, I would never hurt you. In fact," The bed's weight shifted again. Instinctively, her eyes darted towards Endymion's direction. Propping his leg up on the bed, he began to move in slowly towards Serenity. "I'd do to exact opposite." Caught completely off guard, Serenity began to panic. Inching herself backwards, she held out an arms distance between them.

"What are you doing?!" she demanded, clutching at her chest.

His eyes met with hers. Pushing her arm down, he continued to move in closer. Endymion brought his lips to her ear whispering in the most seductive tone possible. "Trying to kiss you, of course." And before Serenity could even have a moment to react, he firmly placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her down on the bed. While she attempted to throw him off, Endymion instead grabbed a hold of her wrists with his hands and pinned them on either said of her head. Placing his body over hers, Serenity knew she was really trapped this time. His legs pinned hers down to the bed, and his hips were grounded into hers. Even if she screamed, no one would care. There was no way out.

It didn't help that was staring at her so intently. The way he was looking at her... the way he was staring into her eyes.. she felt as if she was the only woman in his world. They took her in completely. She couldn't take her eyes away from his. His gaze pierced hers with so much desire and lust that Serenity wondered if they were simply just reflecting hers. Her breathing became shorter and faster, as well as her heartbeat which sped up drastically. Palms sweaty, chest heaving, body shaking... she was ready for him.

"Prince," she whispered softly. Her eyes took the mistake of trailing down to his lips. Glistening just above her, Serenity found herself moving her head forward involuntarily. 'Wait, what am I doing? Not this again!' And as if he could read her mind he tightened his grip on her wrists making sure she was unable to get away.

"I'm not letting you go. Not this time."

His words made her heart flutter. And as if it happened in slow motion, Serenity watched as his face slowly inched closer and closer to hers. She had only a few seconds to push him away and prevent this mess from happening again. All it took was a simple shove, or even a knee jerk. 'Do it! Just do it!' Her mind pleaded in it's last moments, before she threw it completely out the window. Closing her eyes, she surrendered herself completely to her desires and inched her chin up to finally close the distance between their aching lips.

Flooded by the sudden rush of emotions and sensations, Serenity mind went completely blank. At first contact the kiss started off sweet and tender. His lips caressed hers so gently and softly, she felt as if she was in heaven being kissed by a cloud. He shifted more comfortably above her and it was then she knew that sooner or later, light kisses would not be enough for either of them.

Being the one to take the first move, Serenity managed to snake her legs from beneath his and allowed his legs to rest in between hers. Wrapping her long, slender legs around his waist, she grounded her hips firmly onto his making sure to brush against his most sensitive area.

Alarmed at first by her sudden forwardness, Endymion gripped tightly on her wrists. She could feel the desire inside of her increase by the second. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Serenity tilted her head slightly and began to deepen the kiss. Instead of just innocent touches, Serenity clung to his lips as if her life depended on it. She ran her tongue sensually along the bottom of his lip, causing Endymion to groan against her mouth.

She was never usually the forward type--no, she was never the forward type. The kiss with Endymion in the dungeon was indeed her first kiss. Although she had never been with a man before, that didn't mean she was completely innocent. She knew about the birds and the bees, although she was not particularly experienced in any of those areas. However, for some reason being with Endymion made her feel so experienced, so mature, and so adult...

Endymion, no longer wanting to the one in the passengers seat, took control. He parted her lips with his tongue and entered her sweet mouth. The touch of his tongue on hers caused Serenity to moan whole heartedly. His tongue lapped away erotically at hers which only increased her passion and lust for him even more. If there was any rationality left in her head at all it was completely gone at this point. Her heart pounded so hard against her chest she thought it might have ripped through. "Prince," she moaned yet again against his soft sweet lips and magical tongue.

He released his hold on her left wrist, allowing his fingers to slowly trail down her arm and down the side of her breast, causing her body to tremor with excitement. His fingers lingered and danced around her breast, making sure to brush against her sensitive tip. The moment he touched her there, Serenity immediately arched her chest. She wanted his touch so badly. And not just on her breast, but some where else...

Ripping his lips away from hers, Serenity felt the cold air linger above her bruised lips. His lips began to work a trail from the side of her mouth, down her chin, and down her salty neck. He moved his body down her body, and Serenity felt her heat press up against his belly. Her need to be touched became so unbearable, that she began to buck her hips gently against his stomach. "Unngh," she moaned, shutting her eyes and basking in the feeling of her sensitive region rubbing against him so erotically. It felt absolutely wonderful! Who would have thought she was so sensitive there? With her newly freed hands, she brought them to his head and ran her hands through his hair. At this point she couldn't care if he was her worst enemy. He was giving her such pleasure which she knew she wouldn't be able to find again anywhere else. It was wrong, it was illegal, it was sinful.. but by God, that only turned her on even more.

Continuing down her stomach slowly yet surely, his fingers brushed down the side of her stomach. The pace he had been going at was driving her crazy, and he knew it very well. She was under his complete control, and he was enjoying every minute of the power trip. Pulling himself up her body, his lips came down on hers again, meeting with such a hunger, as if they were lovers separated for eternity until this one moment where they finally were reunited.

His hand continued to trail down her body. Reaching her rear, he grabbed it in his hand and forcefully pushed her hips against his. The sudden contact of his groin stabbing into her center caused Serenity to leak another pleasure filled moan into his mouth. First he was kissing her like there was trying to brand her, devour her, and own her, and then he was driving his erection onto her? It made her crazy with lust! His all too familiar tongue invaded her mouth once more, running along the top of her mouth, and then back down to dance again with her tongue. She felt herself burn up and surrendered herself completely to his whims. She was his, and at this point, she couldn't have a care in the world.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him down harder onto her mouth. This time, she put her tongue in his mouth, hoping to give him the same pleasure he had been giving her for the past few minutes. Their lips clung together in such an animalistic need, each wanting to devour the other so hungrily.

Ripping her lips away from his mouth, Serenity gasped for air. This sudden rush of pleasure and emotions caused another moan to escape her mouth. Rolling her eyes at the back of her head, she ran her hands again through Endymion's hair again, unsure of how to deal with all the emotions she was feeling right now. Hips arching to his touch, Serenity closed her eyes, treasuring and soaking in every sensation.

"Serenity," he moaned above her, leaving a trail of kisses down her jaw line. "So bloody wonderful..." Almost to the point of panting, Serenity held onto his shoulders for support. Her body was completely on fire! Her breasts tingled, her lips bruised, and her core pulsed with pleasure.

"Prince..." she purred blissfully.

His lips moved up to her ear, nibbling on it gently. "My name... call me by name..." he requested in a low, sexy whisper.

"Endymion... Endymion... Endymion!" she cried, while biting down on her lip.

"Say you're mine," he ordered.

Mind completely blank, Serenity obliged to his request. "I'm yours... I'm all yours..."

Smirking, Endymion gave her ear one last flick with his tongue. "We ought to do this in real life, then," he suggested.

"Yeah, we should..." 'Wait, that didn't sound right.' Looking up at him puzzled, Serenity's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"This is a dream, Princess," he explained. "So wake up, and find me in the library." Placing another kiss on her head, Serenity watched as he and the world around her disappeared in to a dark oblivion.

* * *

It only took a few minutes for Serenity's consciousness to return. Her eyes slowly fluttered open as the familiar setting of the small white bedroom started to come into focus. Her mind still hazy from returning from dream land, she looked around the room trying to get a grasp of where she was. "What... where am I?" she asked out loud. 

"Wow," a voice breathed. Realizing she was not alone, Serenity's eyes traveled to the direction to a familiar looking woman sitting on her bed next to her legs, staring intently at her. "That looked like a really good dream. And not just good, I mean... wow, really really good..."

"Alani?" Immediately sitting up, Serenity rubbed her blurry eyes. "Dream? What are you talking about?"

With a hand on her chest, Alani smiled wistfully. "You looked like you were having a very enjoyable dream. A little _too_ enjoyable, it seemed," she mused, innuendo dripping from her tongue. Still absolutely confused as to what Alani was blabbering about, Serenity began to seek the depths of her brain for any recent memories that would help her temporary amnesia.

'Alright, I dreamed I was sleeping... and then I woke up... and then the Prince came into my room, and then--' Serenity paused mid-thought. 'And then he... he... we...' Then, at that moment, reality crashed down on her yet again. Serenity's eyes grew wide once the dream came back to her. 'I dreamed about the Prince... again?!' Groaning, Serenity hung her head with self loath. 'Why me?! What's wrong with me?!'

"What were you dreaming about, Princess?" Alani asked, even though she was well aware of what the dream was about. Blushing, Serenity pulled up the cover over her cheeks.

"N-nothing..." 'No sex dream about the idiotic Prince of the Earth. Nope!'

"Oh, really?" Grinning from ear to ear, Alani leaned in closer. "Who was the naughty dream about?"

Surprised that Alani hit it right on the spot, Serenity quickly changed the topic. "N-Not that I don't enjoy your company Alani, but what exactly are you doing here?"

"Starting you off on your first day of work. I hope you haven't been so seduced by Endymion that you've forgotten you're his prisoner," Alani replied, with a smug grin on her face that strangely resembled that of Prince Endymion's.

"What?! S-s-educed?! Please!" Serenity threw her head back and forced out the biggest laughter she could. "I would never be s-seduced by that jerk!" Slapping her knee repeatedly, Serenity hoped her fake laughter was good enough to be bought. "It's more like, I seduced him. Unintentionally, of course! Because I'd never want him to be after me of my own will. No, sir." Sneaking a glance at Alani, her expression clearly showed that she was not believing a single word.

"Anyways," Alani continued. "Endymion thought it would be appropriate for you to wear a uniform. We can't have you tending after him in a Princess dress. And so," Reaching behind her, Alani handed her a plastic wrapped outfit. "Here!"

What appeared to be a skimpy looking version of a maid's uniform hung from Alani's hands in front of her. Whether or not it was for a maid seemed debatable. To Serenity, it seemed as if someone took an actual maid uniform, reduced it to about half it's length, and added a whole bunch of frills and bows. 'Could an outfit be more demeaning? I bet it's not even comfortable. Who in their right mind would wear that?'

"Cute, isn't it?"

"I suppose," Serenity fibbed, knowing very well she would never be caught dead in one of those.

"Good!" She handed the uniform to her. "This is for you! I hope you're a size small, because we don't have any other sizes."

"Ehhhhh?" Serenity scoffed, feeling completely insulted that Endymion would even THINK that she'd wear that. "I'm not wearing that! Who in their right mind would even wear one of those?!" Reaching out to touch it, her face twisted with disgust. "It's just so... frilly! And the skirt! It's way too short. Don't you know I have stubby legs? No, there's no way, NO WAY you're getting me to wear one of those. Ever!" she protested, shoving the outfit away.

"I guess then you won't mind me telling Endymion then that you moaned his name over and over in your sleep?"

Silently gasping, Serenity couldn't believe what she had just heard. "W-what?! I.. No... I...!! That was just... it was... I wasn't even...!!" Knowing she had been completely defeated and that there was no way out of this situation, she groaned. "Ugh, fine!" Grudgingly she snatched back the uniform and stormed out of bed while muttering a few curses beneath her breath. Making her way to the bathroom, she closed the door behind her and began to undress.

'I can't believe her! And here I thought I had one friend in this horrible place.' Placing the uniform on piece by piece, Serenity felt her pride get thrown out for the second time out the window. 'Was I really moaning his name out loud? Oh God, if he walked in on me, that would have been the end of the world!' There was no way she going to let the Prince find out she dreamed about him, TWICE. Even if it meant wearing a demoralizing outfit such as this.

Once it was on, she adjusted the red bow tie at her neck. Serenity took a step back and gazed into the mirror. Realizing that the outfit actually did not look as horrible as she thought it was, Serenity found herself unfortunately liking it. With a white collar dress shirt beneath her apron, a red bow tie rested comfortably just below her neck. Her black puffy sleeves with white cuffs stopped a thirds length down her arm. Her white apron, complete with white frills on the outside edges, as well as the inside, tied snugly around her waist. Finally, her black skirt was not as short as she thought it was, but it still managed to puff out around her greatly. The only thing that bothered her was the large white bow at her back of her hip.

Stepping out of the bathroom shyly, Serenity made sure to avoid Alani's eyes. Although she knew she looked decent in the outfit, she couldn't help but feel so exposed. The skirt lingered dangerously on her thighs and just the wrong turn or bend would mean trouble. "So cute!" Alani chimed, clasping her hands together. "I'm jealous!"

"I don't even see why I have to wear this," she complained while tugging down on her skirt.

"Oh, don't be a poor sport, it's really cute!" Standing up, she walked over to Serenity, straightening the wrinkles in her skirt. "Besides, this is a lot nicer than the usual maid's uniforms. You're lucky Endymion requested this for you."

"I should have known." 'Damn that sex crazed Prince!'

Straightening out one last wrinkle, Alani smiled at the completed project. "All you need is a bell around your neck, and you're set!" Serenity rolled her eyes as Alani laughed away at the last of what little pride she had left. "Sorry I had to use that trump card, but I didn't want you rot away in this room. I had to do a lot of convincing to allow you to get out and roam around the castle!"

Somewhat touched by her words, Serenity smiled at her. She was glad at least one person in this castle was nice to her. Even though it was obvious that she was on Endymion's side, at least Alani treated her like a human being. Still, as an ally to the Prince, she had to make sure she wouldn't blab to him the details of her dream. 'He'd never live it down. I can just imagine him tormenting me!' "Say, Alani... what else did I happen to say in my sleep?" she inquired, trying to sound as innocent as she could.

Smiling mischievously at her, Alani silenced her with a finger. "Let's get to work." Grabbing her wrist, she tugged hard on her and began to pull her out of the room.

"Hey, wait, Alani! What else did I say?!"

* * *

Although she did grow up in a palace environment, the Earth castle was still breath taking. It was definitely bigger than hers, but something about it was more appealing. The Moon castle was more crystal-like and futuristic, where as the Earth castle had more of a naturist feel to it. The sun shined brightly through every window, lighting up each room and hallway with a morning glow. Surrounding the outside was and endless field of green grass, flowerbeds of all sorts, and a vast forest that seemed to go on for forever. And in the distance laid the clear, beautiful cerulean sky that always made Serenity's heart pound. The run ins with the Earth Prince made her forget just exactly how beautiful this planet really was. 

Her first task of the day was to tend to the garden. Alani assigned her a supervisor named Minami, a tall, fierce and beautiful woman that of course, shared an undeniable hatred for Moonlings. With a whip securely placed at her side, Serenity knew she was not one to be messed with. She asked why Alani couldn't be her supervisor, which was when Alani told her that she isn't a maid. "Don't worry. This is only when Endymion isn't around. Normally he would be your supervisor, but he's missing in action right now for some reason," Alani explained.

Hoping that last night's event had nothing to do with it, Serenity pushed down the guilt building up in her stomach. Still, the idea of the Prince around her, watching her every move was just about as scary as Minami.

"Hey, get to work!" Minami screeched from a window in the castle.

Shaking out of her daydream, Serenity quickly returned to mending the flowers. "Yes, mam!" she yelled back. Although her outfit was exposing, she was thankful for it at least on this hot summer day.

Even after her garden work, Minami worked Serenity relentless. From dusting the tallest of the tall shelves, to cleaning out the horse's droppings, to the laundry, to scrubbing the hallway floors end to start, back and forth, over and over, Serenity didn't even notice that the day had went by so quickly. Not allowing her any breaks, except for the rare washroom and water break, she felt as if her legs and arms were about to fall out of their sockets. Still, that whip on the side of Minami's waist made her keep silent. 'I'm surprised she hasn't even struck me yet.'

Finally, there was only one duty left to be completed. "Your last task of the day is to dust the shelves of the library," Minami informed. "Once you are done, you return to your chambers. You MUST finish by ten o clock."

'Ten?' Glancing at her watch, that meant she only had an hour to complete her task. 'Dusting shelves... that should be easy. How hard could that be?'

Of course, Minami forgot to mention that they held the most extensive and largest library in the the solar system. With her mouth gaping wide open, Serenity gasped at the endless shelves and shelves of books all around her. There were places that not even the ladder could reach! 'How am I supposed to clean all these shelves in an hour?!' Minami knew this task was impossible, and that was the exact reason why she assigned it. She would fail, and by failing, that would allow her to punish her. Gulping, Serenity knew exactly what that meant.

Closing the door behind her, she pulled out her feather duster. 'Alright. Don't lose hope, just do what you can. Then, when you get out of this place, use the Ginzuishou and burn their sorry behinds!' Happy with that mental image in her head, she hopped and skipped her way over to the left side of the library. Picking a place to start, Serenity climbed up on a ladder carefully, and began to dust away. However, the shelves seemed awfully clean with very little dust for some reason. Climbing up higher, she noticed it was still clean as well. Looking at the shelf next to her, it too was clean. 'This is too odd...'

Then just as she placed her right foot on the next ring her foot slipped. Unable to gain her balance in time, Serenity's other foot slipped as well, throwing her off and causing her to fall backwards off the ladder. Letting out a frantic scream, Serenity closed her eyes, awaiting the painful impact of her head on the concrete floor.

Instead, she landed in what seemed like a pair of two large and strong arms. "Oof!" she grunted on impact. Whatever had caught her, caught her just in time. Her heart racing, the world around her slowly stopped spinning and came to a complete stop. If she was ever thankful for anything, it was for this person who had just saved her life.

"This outfit looks even better than I imagined," the voice spoke. Alarmed by the familiar sounds, Serenity looked up at her supposed savior. Staring back down at her was no one than the devil himself. "I think I saw up your skirt when you were up there."

Disgusted at who the savior actually was, Serenity tried to push her way out of Prince Endymion's arms. "Unhand me!" she demanded, twisting and turning in his arms. Unable to accommodate her sudden movement, Endymion reflexively dropped her on the floor. Landing hard on her bottom, Serenity grunted as a sharp pain rain all over her back side. "Owww," she groaned. Carefully getting back on her feet, Serenity vigorously rubbed her behind. "Geeze, that hurt! I didn't mean drop me!"

"You said unhand! I unhanded you, meaning, I removed my hands. Not my fault gravity hates you." And there it was. That arrogant smirk, the cocky flicker in his eyes, and the ignorant tone in his voice that just made Serenity want to wrap her arms around his neck and strangle him. Running a hand through his ebony hair, Endymion flashed another smirk at her. "I guess I'm better with my hands on you, than off."

"Please, you're making me sick," she grimaced, placing a hand on her stomach.

"Hey, that's no way to treat your savior," Endymion replied, frowning. "What were you doing up there, anyways? These ladders are pretty old and dangerous."

"Well, Minami sent me here to clean the shelves," Serenity explained, holding up her feather duster. "I have to clean them in an hour, otherwise..." Using her right hand, she imitated a whip motion complete with the sound effect. Endymion's hand then flew to his mouth, trying to contain the laughter bubbling in his chest. "What?! She's very scary!"

And then, Endymion removed his hand, letting out a well deserved hearty laughter. "Oh God, Minami... I love that girl!" Wiping a sole tear that dropped out the side of his eye, he clutched his stomach. "We have cleaners here that come in every week to clean the library!" Bending over in laughter, he slapped his knee. "God, I love her!"

Mouth dropping, Serenity could not believe it what he said. Clenching her feather duster in both hands, the anger boiling and bubbling inside her caused her to snap it in half. "How DARE she! I could have killed myself! She knows I wouldn't be able to clean this place in an hour... and yet she... she...!" Throwing her arms up in frustration, Serenity screamed. "I hate you all!"

Riding out the last of his laughter, Endymion placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You can't blame her. You have to admit, that was genius."

Pulling away from his hand, Serenity glared at him. "Horrible. You're all horrible! You would have done the exact same thing, too!" Throwing himself back into laughter mode, Endymion wrapped both arms around his stomach again.

"Please, Serenity, stop..! You're... killing me!" He pleaded between laughter.

"You're a jerk! And here I thought after last night you had some humanity inside of you!" Knowing it was a mistake to bring up last night, Serenity regretted using those words. Endymion ceased his laughing, eyes avoiding hers. Returning to his upright position, she watched as his once amused expression disappear, only to be replaced by highly embarrassed one, complete with red cheeks and everything. "But, I guess I was wrong!"

"You can just ignore what I said last night. If you must know, I woke up this morning and realized that I actually really do hate you, and I really do want you dead," Endymion spoke, also avoiding looking at her. "I don't know why I said those things last night. I must have been partly drunk, or something. The only remote thing that I feel towards you besides utter hatred and spite is if anything at all, a VERY minute sexual attraction, but that's ONLY because God decided to give you a break and make you somewhat decent looking instead of a crater face that you so rightly deserve. "

Gasping in complete shock, Serenity's eyes narrowed and glared at him with all her might. "Hey! You can't call me pretty and ugly at the same time!"

"I said you are pretty, you nitwit. It's just, you should have been born ugly," he retorted, folding his arms across his chest.

Opening her mouth for a comeback, Serenity had trouble finding one. 'Wait, did he just call me pretty?' "Well... that doesn't mean you can come after me like a sex starved monster!" she retorted, raising her chin up with confidence. Staring sternly down at her, Endymion took a step forward.

"I'm a man with desires and needs, but even I would never jump on you, ever."

"Oh really? Who exactly was 'lusting after me like a schoolboy?'" she demanded. Cheeks immediately flaring, Endymion looked to the side and coughed.

"Like I said, I was probably somewhat drunk when I said that. Besides, those last few times were like you said, a mistake that will never happen again," he stated firmly. "You're just not worth the trouble."

"Good! I'm glad you finally started thinking with your head instead of your--" Serenity's words were interrupted when she heard the door to the library open loudly.

"Moonling!" The voice roared. "Are you finished yet?!"

Realizing that it was Minami on a warpath, Serenity gasped, hands flying to her mouth. "Oh my God!" she whispered. "She's going to kill me...!"

Smirking mischievously, Endymion began to frantically wave his arms, hoping to catch her attention. "Minami, over here--"

Grabbing Endymion by his lapels, she tugged him into a dark corner with her, hoping and praying that the frightening woman didn't hear him. "Idiot! You know she will literally kill me if she finds me--"

"Minami!" he called again. Eyes widening, Serenity silenced his mouth with her hand hoping to drown out his voice. "Mmmami! Mmmami!!" His muffled screams could still be heard against her hand. Panicking, Serenity knew she could not be caught. That whip by her side was there for a very important reason, and Serenity sure as hell did not want to find out what it was. But even as she kept her hand on Endymion's mouth, his voice could still be easily heard.

Sighing, she knew there was no other option. "I hate you for this," she uttered beneath her breath. Removing her hand from his mouth, she latched onto his lapels once more, stood on her tippy toes, and pulled him forward onto her lips. Just as she expected, his muffles were silenced entirely by her lips. Keeping her eyes open over Endymion's shoulder for any sign of Minami, Serenity kept her mind occupied on keeping as far away from the scary lady as possible, so she pulled him as much as she could into the corner.

Endymion, on the other hand, was occupied on something else. Once his lips touched hers, it sparked that all too familiar desire rumbling inside of him which he had tried so desperately to ignore. Just with her lips slightly parted was enough for him. His hands roamed up and down her back, pulling her tiny body up against his. Tilting his head, his lips latched with need onto hers, savoring the taste and electricity he was feeling as he nibbled down on her bottom lip.

The doors to the library closed shut again, followed by footsteps which sounded like they were on the other side of the door. Serenity sighed in relief, knowing that she was safe for now. From there, she had it all planned. She was going to place her hand on his shoulders, push him away, avoid his stare, walk out of that darned library, and go back to her room to sleep. It was a real simple plan, that had real simple steps. All it took was that one shove to start it off.

Of course, that plan went down the drain once she felt Endymion's tongue run along her bottom lip. Her mind instantly became hazy from the warmth emanating from Endymion's body and the tingling feeling in her skin when he touched her. Serenity slowly felt herself give in to him, just like the dream she had this morning. Only this time, this was no dream. This was all so very real. Closing her eyes, Serenity released her hold on his lapels only to wrap her arms around his neck while running her hands through his silky hair.

His tongue, impatient, parted her aching lips and delved into her mouth. Reaching for her tongue, he caressed it _lasciviously _with his. Moaning against his lips, Serenity tilted her head to deepen the steamy and heated kiss. This was nothing like her dream. Although her dream Endymion felt great, it wasn't real. She couldn't truly feel his tongue dancing with hers, or his lips pressing down on hers, or his hands roaming up and down her small body. Not until now, of course.

Endymion's hands reached her bottom and grabbed it causing Serenity to squeak against his lips. Unfortunately, all that did was just set her desire off even more. Feeling bolder and bolder by the minute, Serenity pushed her hips forward.

"Mmm..." Endymion moaned as their intimate places came into contact. Pushing her bottom forward, he grounded her hips harder onto his, savoring the pleasure he felt from this simple gesture. Serenity was just amazed at how wonderful it felt to move against someone's body like that. Immediately feeling something hard between her legs, it took a few seconds for Serenity to fully register what that meant. A blush crept up on her cheeks. Even though they had shared more than one physical encounter with him, it still made her embarrassed to know that she made him feel like that.

Feeling her breath become short, and her heart beating incredibly, Serenity felt her knees start to shake. As if her legs were about to become putty, she wrapped her arms around his neck tighter, hoping to use him as support if her legs gave out beneath her. Sensing this, Endymion pressed his body harder against hers, almost crushing her into the wall.

Suddenly, his hands both slid down underneath her frilly skirt. Traveling down her thighs, they grasped the back of her knees. Unsure of what was happening, Serenity just clung onto his neck as Endymion pulled up both of her legs, wrapping them securely around his waist. The only thing holding her up was the weight of his body crushing her into the corner and her arms wrapping securely around his neck. This new position allowed his erection to penetrate her at a different angle. 'A much better angle,' she thought. It stabbed against her center, causing her hips to involuntarily buck against it. 'Oh, wow. That felt really good.' Bucking her hips again, Serenity moaned lustfully into his mouth. She was wrong. He turned _her_ into a sex crazed maniac.

His hands found their rightful positions at her hips, and angled them slightly. He continued to ground his hips into hers making sure to brush against that sensitive region of hers. Every time she did, she'd evoke this tiny squeak that sounded so erotic to him. Immediately he strained painfully against his pants that it drove him crazy with desire. All he wanted to do right now was pull down his pants and drive into her repeatedly, hoping to make her feel just as crazy as she was making him feel. "Serenity," he whispered against her lips.

"Mmm..." she moaned, entering his mouth with her tongue this time. She was having trouble breathing, but at that moment it didn't matter. As long as he kept grinding into her like that, nothing in this world mattered. "Unnhh...!"

He started to increase the pace of his hips, grinding into her faster and faster. Even with clothing separating them, it still felt wonderfully arousing. Although he had done this with women before, it was _never_ like this.

Pulling his lips away from hers, he stared down at her for a second. Her eyes were shut tightly, face flushed, and her bruised lips ached and pulsed, formed that all to familiar 'o' shape of ecstasy. Hands resting at his shoulders, she licked her lips. "Mmmmmm..."

Mesmerized, Endymion couldn't help notice how beautiful she was, especially at this moment. Peaking at him beneath her lashes, Serenity looked at him puzzled. "What... what?"

Shaking his head, his moved his lips down her jawline and down her neck, resting in the groove of her neck. Grabbing a piece of skin gently with his lips and teeth, he took turns between nibbling and sucking away at her salty and sweet skin. Occasionally, Serenity would thrust her hips forward, causing him to go even more insane. "Oh God.. keep doing that..." he pleaded into her skin.

"Prince... Prince..." she moaned, cherishing the feeling of his tongue on her neck. The desire building up beneath her belly was slowly becoming bigger and bigger. Just a few more thrusts and grunts and she would be driving off the cliff of pleasure.

"Serenity... Call me by... my name..." he whispered, also feeling himself close to that release.

"Just like my dream..." she thought aloud. "Unnnh... Endymion...!"

"S-serenity!" he gasped, increasing his pace.

"Unnnnh, Endymion!"

"Say you're mine," he ordered.

All of this seemed much too familiar. Aware that this was real life and this time her response to this request would change would actually matter now. Unsure, and unable to fully concentrate on the matter, Serenity was at a loss of words. "I'm... I'm... I..."

Just then, an object fell to the floor with a loud clang. Alarmed, Serenity peered over Endymion's shoulder frantically. Someone had just walked in on her dry humping the Prince! Endymion looked back over his shoulder to see who had interrupted this moment of passion. Groaning, he rested his head on Serenity's shoulder in disappointment. "Alani, what are you doing here?!" he roared.

"Hey! I didn't want to walk in on this!" Alani defended, while bending down to pick up the book that she accidentally dropped. "You're lucky it was me. If it was someone else, you both would definitely be in trouble!" Mortified, Serenity tried to pull away from him, but he held a firm grasp on her, not to mention he was her main source of support right now. "I came down here for the Princess. Minami said she couldn't find you here, so she sent me to find you."

"It's not what you think. He was going to tell Minami where I was, so I had to shut him up--"

"By dry humping him into silence?" Alani smirked. "Yeah, that usually shuts him up, right Endy?"

"Oi, Alani, quiet," Endymion warned.

"W-what?" she asked, confused.

"Just go. I'll make sure she gets back to her room, okay?" And with that, Alani turned around and left the room.

For some reason, that comment hurt Serenity more than it intended to do. 'Does that mean they... they...? Why does that matter to me?' Her hands slowly fell from around his neck, as a wave of nausea rushed over her. Jealousy bellowed in the pits of her stomach, making her just absolutely sickened. 'Why am I feeling this way?' Endymion raised his head from her shoulder, turning to face her, wondering why she had let go of him. Seeing the confused and hurt expression in her face, Endymion's face softened. "Look, Serenity, it's not what you think--"

"Can you just let go?" she simply requested. "I... I have to go back.." Unhooking her legs around his waist, she brought them back down to the floor.

"Hold on, just wait!" he ordered, putting his arm up to prevent her from leaving. "Look, me and Alani had this thing before--" he frantically tried to explain, but Serenity shook her head, clearly in no mood to listen.

"No, I don't care. I really don't care," she stated, inching to move away.

"Then why are you trying to walk away?" he challenged, eyes desperately seeking hers.

"Because! I... I just... realized we made another mistake! Remember, this, not happening ever again? Well it just happened!" Avoiding his eyes, Serenity just stared at the arm in front of her. "So can you please let me go?"

Sighing, he knew she was right. She was always right. Bringing his arm down, he watched as she immediately walked past him, making her way towards the doors of the library. Fist clenching at his side, that all too familiar feeling of dread clouded over him. 'Why do I keep feeling like this?!' He felt like he had to right a wrong... but what wrong was there to right? Just before she was about to step out the doors, Endymion mustered up whatever courage he had left and desperately ran after her, hoping he wasn't too late. "Serenity, wait!"

She stopped in her tracks. "Yes?"

"...do you still hate me?" he asked, hoping that it would change something between them.

Gripping onto the door handle, Serenity looked sadly over her shoulder.

"Always," she replied, before exiting through the doors.


	6. Chapter 5

**Prisoner of his Heart  
**Written by: Odango Atama

Sorry this took so long, but here is chapter five of the story. It's not as steamy as the previous chapters were, but I think they needed a little break from all of that. The next chapters will definitely pick up the steam factor, so just hang in there. Some of you may be wondering what happened to Small Lady and her parents. Although I added a brief scene in here with them, there are only certain windows where their appearances can be appropriate. (And also, sometimes I forget this is a story within a story!) Never the less, enjoy this chapter, and leave a review! It's always nice to see what you guys think, and it motivates me to write more. )

* * *

"One.. two... three... four... five.. six.. seven... seven..." 

It was night time in the Earth Palace, yet sleep did not reach a restless Moon Princess. Counting with one hand, Princess Serenity reached the index finger on her other hand and frowned slightly. 'Has it really been that long?' Sighing, she placed the back of her hand on her weary forehead and shut her eyes. 'It sure seems longer than that.'

It had been a long and grueling seven days since her last encounter in the library with the Prince. Another intimate moment between them that should have never happened again, had, well, happened. Again. And ever since then, Serenity and Endymion had been avoiding each other like the plague. Although she would see him briefly in the hallways, both would immediately avoid any eye contact with each other what so ever. She didn't really know why _he _was ignoring _her_. Perhaps he was simply too embarrassed to look at her. This wasn't the first time the "encounter that should have never happened" happened. Once was enough, but to do it again? He was her worst enemy, and she was his. The things that happened between them should never happen between enemies.

Yet it did. Twice.

And it wasn't as if she could blame him completely. She was partly at fault for letting him do those things to her. 'Why _did _I let him touch me?' she wondered. She remembered being so caught up in the heat of the moment that she couldn't even think properly. Her mind went blank whenever they got close and her judgment flew completely out the window. Sure it made her feel sick and disgusted afterwards, but during that heated moment, she had never felt more on fire in her entire life.

'I'm a horrible, horrible person. Traitor to my kingdom, a traitor to myself. Having these lusty feelings towards the Prince of the Earth? Horrible, horrible!'

A sudden knock on wood shook Serenity out of her thoughts. "Princess Serenity?" a familiar voice called from behind the door.

It had belonged to Alani since she was the only person in this castle that had ever addressed her by her full name. Frowning at the closed door, Serenity threw herself under the covers pretending to be asleep. She didn't want to see Alani right now. She had managed to avoid her as well for a good week, whether it was dodging Alani completely, or asking Minami to keep her working longer. Serenity just didn't want to see her or Endymion.

The door to her bedroom quietly opened causing Serenity to clutch tighter on the sheets above her head. 'Please go away, please go away,' she silently prayed. She heard the footsteps slowly approach her bed. They stopped in front of her, and stood there for a few moments. "Princess Serenity?" she called again. Serenity remained silent. Alani sighed as she sat herself down on her bed next to her legs. "Princess, are you mad at me?" she asked with concern in her voice.

Staying quiet, Serenity took quieter breaths. She wasn't mad at her... at least, she didn't _think_ she was mad at her. 'I have no reason to be angry with Alani... yet at the same time... I don't wish to see her face...'

_"It's not what you think. He was going to tell Minami where I was, so I had to shut him up--"_

_"By dry humping him into silence?" Alani smirked. "Yeah, that usually shuts him up, right Endy?"_

_"Oi, Alani, quiet," Endymion warned. _

Such a playful comment on Alani's part for some reason bothered Serenity. All she could remember was feeling horrible with jealousy bellowing in her stomach. 'Why did I feel jealous? Just because they... they... they did things together.. it shouldn't matter to me, right?' By the way Endymion acted and moved intimately, he seemed very experienced when dealing with women. Why did it bother her now? Was it because it was Alani he was intimate with? 'But I knew they were together... I even asked Alani about it... so why, why am I feeling this way now?'

"Princess Serenity... I'm sorry about what I said that time in the library," Alani spoke softly. "I was really just kidding. I hadn't intended on offending you, but if I did, I'm really sorry." Alani glanced over at Serenity's unresponsive blanketed body. Sighing, she continued on with her apology. "I really like you, Princess. Even if you are a Moonling, that doesn't matter to me. You're a great person to talk to, and I just really hope we can be friends." She waited a few more moment, but upon receiving no response on Serenity's end, Alani heaved another heavy sigh before getting off the bed. "You're probably still sleeping then... I'll see you tomorrow morning then, Princess."

With guilt eating away at her, Serenity wrestled with her conscience to do something. 'You're being a jerk to the one person who has been nice to you!' Peering shyly above her sheet covers, Serenity looked apologetically up at Alani who looked genuinely ecstatic to see her.

"Princess!" she cried, a smile forming on her face.

"I..." Serenity spoke while avoiding Alani's overjoyed eyes. "I'm.. I'm not mad at you. I.. I was just tired, and didn't have the energy to respond earlier," she fibbed.

"Look, what happened between Endymion and I was a _long_ time ago. We're both over it, and it's all in the past--" she tried to explain, but Serenity cut her off.

"No, you don't need to explain. I wasn't bothered by that, at all. I was just disgusted at myself for.." Pulling the covers over the bottom half of her face to hide her flaring blush, Serenity began to mumble beneath her breath. "...you know... what happened at the library? Anyways, I didn't mean to ignore you, it wasn't intentional. I was just... I just wanted to think to myself."

"Say no more! I understand completely. I'm just happy you're not mad at me!" Bending over Serenity, she wrapped her arms around her and pulled her in for a hug. "I'm glad we're still friends, Princess!"

Somewhat touched by her display of affection, Serenity smiled. "Me too, Alani."

Pulling away, she waved at Serenity. "Well then! I'll be going now. Good night, Princess!" Serenity watched as Alani spun around on her heel and left the room with a skip in her step. Although she felt what she said wasn't true at all, Serenity was glad at least Alani was happy. Pulling the cover over herself yet again, she shut her eyes tightly, hoping that sleep would relieve her of the tension and guilt she was feeling.

* * *

Alani walked joyfully down the lonely corridors of the Earth castle. Feeling as if the weight of the world was lifted off her shoulders, she felt absolutely free! This past week had been both incredibly lonely and tiring with the guilt from the possibility of hurting the Princess' feelings, but now that things were better, she felt happy again. 

She hadn't expected Serenity to take the joke so seriously in the first place, but it ended up just fueling her suspicion that she had now grown a liking towards Endymion. No woman in their right mind would let a man who she claimed to hate do that to her unless she was some what attracted to the person. Although she said she hated Endymion with all her might, Alani knew there had to be some sort of falsity to that. She also suspected Endymion was attracted to Serenity as well, but knowing him very well, the Proud Endymion would never admit his true feelings. They were both simply being incredibly stubborn. 'Huh, look at that. They're made for each other.' She knew she had to do something about these two. She couldn't just stand by and watch her best friend lose what could possibly be his only chance at real love. 'But what can I do to help them out?'

"Alani!" A male voice called to her from behind.

Shaken out of her thoughts, Alani hadn't noticed she walked towards the throne room. She watched as an exhausted Prince Endymion advanced towards her. With his burned out and tired eyes hidden behind his reading glasses, his hair tussled all about, and his white dress shirt in desperate need of an iron, Alani could tell he was very taxed. "Endy... God, you look awful," she bluntly stated.

Endymion's hands flew to his hair to fix the loose strands. "Is it that bad?" he asked self consciously, receiving a nod from Alani. Frowning, he withdrew his hands. "Whatever, it's late! And I've been working my butt off all day."

"Why don't you take a rest?" she suggested. Waving it off with a flick of his hand, Endymion shook his head.

"I can't. Too busy. Look, I need you to find me an assistant for tomorrow. I'm at my wits end here, and I just need someone to help me out," he requested.

For the past few days, Endymion had been preparing for some big meeting with a bunch of nation rulers proposing some deal that had him working on it from morning to night. He and his generals would stay up in throne room working non stop, arguing over endless issues, and filling out thousands of paper work. She didn't know what it was about, but she knew it was important to him, and the planet. If there was any way she could help, she'd do it. "Sure, Endy. But what happened to your other assistant, Kana?"

Embarrassed, Endymion forced a smile on his face. "Yeah, she's not my assistant anymore... she... quit."

Alani knew exactly what that meant. "Geeze Endy, can't you keep your pants on for at least one second?!" she yelled while hitting him hard on the shoulder.

"Ow!" he groaned, rubbing his shoulder. "Hey, I'm under a lot of stress right now! I just... I just needed... I just—"

"Okay okay, you don't have to explain to me. Just worry about whatever you're working on. I'll get you your assistant, okay?" Placing a hand on his arm affectionately, Alani flashed him a smile. "Now get some sleep. I don't want to see your raccoon eyes tomorrow morning. They're an unpleasant sight," she teased. Smiling playfully, Alani waved at him. "Good night, Endy."

"Hey, stop calling me that," he ordered.

Sticking her tongue out at him, she turned around and walked away. Poised with a brilliant idea in her head, Alani knew exactly how she would patch things up with Endymion and the Princess.

* * *

_The Next Day_

"Alani..."

"Yes, Endy?"

Feeling the pressure build up in his head, Prince Endymion rubbed his throbbing forehead with his finger. "Look, if I wanted _her_ to be my assistant, I would have requested it to her myself."

"Oh, really? That thought didn't even occur to me," Alani replied innocently. "I just thought the Princess would be perfect for the job, since she is _technically_ your own personal slave."

"Hey!" Princess Serenity finally spoke up, feeling a bit insulted. "I am nobody's slave! And I refuse to be his 'assistant' or whatever nut job you signed me up for!"

* * *

"Hold on a second there, Mama," Small Lady intervened. "I'm a little confused. How did you end up being Papa's assistant?" 

"Oh? Did I leave that part out?" Neo Queen Serenity absentmindedly asked before she yawned. Sleep was getting the best of her, since Small Lady decided to wake her and King Endymion up at 6AM to continue their story. "Well, basically she just dragged me out of my room and brought me to him."

Pouting, Small Lady was clearly not pleased with Serenity's attempt to side track the story. "Mama!" she complained. "I want the whole story!"

Glancing over at her sleeping husband laying next to her, Neo Queen Serenity glowered at him. He would definitely pay for leaving her alone. "Fine, fine, Small Lady. I'll tell you the story as we go get some ice to wake up your father."

* * *

_Earlier that day_

"So how about it?"

"Are you kidding me?" Princess Serenity beamed. "Of course I would! Anything to get out of being near Minami!"

"Great! Basically, you're going to follow every order from this client. He's currently in a tight position right now, and just needs someone to fetch him coffee, get him something to eat, just things like that. It should be really easy," Alani explained. "You'll be working for him as long as he needs you, so that should give you a few days free from Minami."

Like music to her ears, Serenity smiled gleefully. "That's the best news I've heard since I got here! Who is this guy, anyways?"

Nervously looking to the side, Alani attempted to change the subject. "Well, let's go! Can't keep him waiting, right?" Grabbing her wrist, Alani tugged Serenity behind her, out of the room and down the hallways of the castle.

"H-hold on, Alani!" Serenity cried, stumbling to keep up with her pulling. "Who am I working for?" she asked, while trying not to trip over her own feet. Why was Alani being so secretive about this whole ordeal? Sure she was grateful that she had relieved her of the crazy whip yielding maniac, but all she wanted to know was who she was working for. Everyone in this castle hated her. 'What if he was secretly planning to kill me?!' At least she would be able to keep out an extra eye if she knew something about this character.

"I'm sure you two will get along great," Alani replied, not bothering to look back at her. "He's a great guy, don't worry!"

Feeling comfort in her words, Serenity nodded. "Well, as long as it's not the Prince, then I'll be okay." A nervous laughter escaped Alani's lips, giving Serenity a great feeling of suspicion. "Wait, Alani! You're not... you're.. you're not leading me to the PRINCE, are you?!" She desperately asked, hoping that Alani would tell her, 'Of course not! Why would I do that to you?' and then bring her to a man she had never seen before

Of course, life is never generous like that.

The familiar surroundings of the throne room came into view, and Serenity's suspicions grew even larger. Her heart began to beat faster, and her breaths became more shallow. 'She's leading me to him... to the Prince!' Trying her best to stop herself, Alani's pull on her arm was far too strong for her to stop. Slowly but surely, she was being brought to the one person she wanted to avoid for the rest of her life.

They began to draw near to the all too familiar broad figure of the Prince. With his back to them, he hunched over a table, studying what appeared to be a large world map. So consumed in his work, he hadn't noticed the two women coming up to him. Serenity felt the hairs on the back of her skin rise. There was no way out of this! They both came to a stop a meter behind the Prince. Frantic, Serenity pulled against Alani's grip, trying to free herself. "Alani, I can't do this!" she whispered as quietly as she could.

Tightening her grip, Alani looked back at the panicked Princess. "It's for your own good," she replied. Perplexed by her comment, Serenity tried to reply to her, but Alani had turned away. "Endy, I brought you your assistant!"

As if it were happening in slow motion, Serenity drew in a deep breath as she watched the Prince turn around to face them. His eyes immediately fixated on hers and grew wide with surprise. Still in the same attire as he was when he encountered Alani, Serenity felt her cheeks warm up slightly at the sight of the tussled Prince. Normally well kept and clean, this "dirty looking" version of the Prince was... it was...

"Alani..." he called with annoyance, eyes narrowing at Serenity.

"Yes, Endy?" she replied, wide-eyed.

Feeling the pressure build up in his head, Prince Endymion rubbed his throbbing forehead with his finger. "Look, if I wanted _her_ to be my assistant, I would have requested it to her myself."

"Oh, really? That thought didn't even occur to me," Alani replied innocently. "I just thought the Princess would be perfect for the job, since she is _technically_ your own personal slave."

"Hey!" Princess Serenity finally spoke up, feeling a bit insulted. "I am nobody's slave! And I refuse to be his 'assistant' or whatever nut job you signed me up for!" Just as she was about to turn, a hand clamped around her wrist, preventing her from moving. The hand that grabbed her sparked an all too familiar rush of emotions. Frozen, she bashfully looked looked up at him beneath her lashes. His eyes met hers briefly, before looking away.

"It doesn't matter, you'll have to do." Gritting his teeth, he glared at Alani. "You _will_ pay for this," he threatened.

"Whatever, Endy. Just make sure next time you guys lock the door," she teased before walking away.

Feeling herself flustered, Serenity pulled her wrist away from his grasp, avoiding his piercing eyes. She would definitely make Alani pay. 'I even told her I didn't want to see the Prince! And what does she do?! She brings me right to him!' Now she had to answer his every beck and call, waiting on him hand and foot. 'He could even order me to... to... to pleasure him!' She gulped at the idea, although some part of her found that oddly thrilling.

"Well, Princess, guess you're just going to have to ignore me another day," he replied, half bitterly. "Let's just get some things out of the way first."

"G-Get things out of the way?" she asked timidly.

"Yeah." Removing his glasses, he rubbed his eyes vigorously. "I like my coffee black. No sugar, no cream, nothing. Meals are prepared by the chefs, all you have to do is fetch them. Near the end of the day, I get a crick in the back of my neck that I need rubbed out. Oh, and, whenever I get restless, chocolate tends to pick me up, so you'll need to get me some of that later on." Flooded by the ongoing rush of instructions, Serenity tried her best to mentally note them all down. "Oh, and, I'll be working with a lot of the general officers in the castle who really don't like you, so try not to get intimidated by them."

Sighing, Serenity's shoulders drooped. "Great. More people that hate me."

"Hey, I said don't be intimidated. The only person you should concern yourself with is me." His eyes laid upon hers, causing Serenity to inhale sharply. "Alright?"

She nodded, and received a friendly pat on the head from Endymion. "Hey, I'm not a dog," she protested, hands rushing up to fix her messed up hair.

"Sorry, it's a habit."

And then, he did the strangest thing.

He smiled at her.

Feeling her face warm up, Serenity looked down. "I'll.. I'll go get you your coffee, then." Rushing past him with her head down, she made her way towards the kitchen. This was going to be a long and tiring day.

* * *

The day went by faster than she thought it would. Although she had to deal with the derogatory comments that the fellow officers around her would mutter underneath their breaths, and the maids that sent dagger-like glares when she entered the kitchen, most of the time she simply sat by Endymion's side, waiting for his order. Although she had to have her back turned to them, which she thought was ridiculous since she could _hear_ what they were talking about, the time passed by quite quickly. It was already nearing midnight, and the only one left at the table was a burned out Prince Endymion. 

Glancing every now and then at him in the corner of her eye, Serenity couldn't help but notice how drained he looked. His hair was more ruffled than it was in the morning, even though he showered midway through the day. Eyes weary, his brows furrowed, yet he still remained focus on the task in front of him. With a fist to his chin, Endymion desperately fought the sleep that tried to overcome him. With a new cup of freshly brewed coffee by his side, she knew he would be able to withstand the urge to sleep.

She had never seen him working so hard. Albeit she had only met him about a week ago, but this was a completely whole new image to her. She had forgotten that this childish, and rash Prince was actually an authoritative figure. Not just any figure, _the_ figure. The head honcho. The head man. 'I wonder where the King and Queen are?' Come to think of it, she hadn't seen any other royal figure besides the Prince. Where were his parents?

She watched as Endymion would close his eyes for a second, before shaking himself out of sleep. Feeling somewhat sympathetic towards him, she decided to spark a conversation, hoping he would be able to stay focused. "What are you working on?" she asked.

Glancing at her briefly, Endymion's eyes returned back to the papers in front of him. "Just... some battle tactics. Propositions, data..." Leaning back in his chair, he rubbed his eyes again. "You know, the usual..."

"Oh, really?" She tried to sound as interested as possible. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw a table covered with sheets of paper that looked rather important. "I didn't think it was this tough to rule a planet."

"Yes, well, the Earth is quite larger than the Moon," he explained, closing his eyes. "Less space, less things to worry about. Besides, I'm sure your darling Mother and Father take care of all the hard work while you sit back and enjoy your carefree life," he bitterly spoke, aggravation obvious in his tone.

"Hey! My life wasn't all great at home. I have problems too," she defended. He looked at her, unconvinced.

"Oh really? What, did little Johnny not ask you to the ball? Did you cry your eyes out when he asked another girl instead? My, Princess, what a hard life you live," he sarcastically remarked. Angered, Serenity shot up from her seat.

"Don't act like you know me. You know _nothing _about me! You've met me for what, a week, and you think you know everything about me?" Hands at her hips, eyes narrowed, she gave him the hardest glare she could. How dare he condescend her! After all she had done for him today!

Clearly annoyed by the high tone of her voice, Endymion waved his hand to silence her. "Fine fine, I'm sorry. Just, stop yelling at me. Could you get me the blanket on the couch over there?"

Infuriated by his sudden brush off, Serenity turned around and stomped off. 'The nerve of that guy!' Grabbing the blanket, she returned back to the Prince, shoving it in his face. Sitting back down, the two remained in complete silence as Endymion returned back to the papers in front of him, while Serenity soaked in her boiling anger. 'Stupid jerk. I hope you collapse from the lack of sleep! How about I drug your coffee next time, hmm? Next time you condescend me, I'll put laxatives in there!' she mentally threatened, death-glaring at the man beside her.

From the corner of his eye he could sense Serenity's eyes on him. Eyes quickly trailing to her direction, he was greeted with what seemed like the biggest pout he had ever seen. He noticed how adorable she looked like that, with her lower lip jutting out and her glowering eyes. 'Wouldn't it be fun to play with her?' he wondered. Smiling mischievously to himself, he put his pencil down. Stretching his neck and shoulder, Endymion turned his head to look at Serenity. "Oi, Princess. The crick in my neck is back."

Wide-eyed, Serenity looked at him perplexed. "What do you want me to do about it?"

'This is too easy.' He pointed to his back. "Obviously I want you to do something about it."

Eyebrows shooting up to her hairline, Serenity backed away from him slightly. "Ehhh?! Pervert!!" she accused, inching further away from him.

"Tempting, but no, not what you're thinking. I want a massage, you nitwit. Come on, my neck is killing me," he pleaded.

Turning in his chair, he faced his back to her to give her better access. Serenity paused, unsure of what to she should do. She had never massaged anyone before. Not to mention, getting all touchy freely with the Prince never ended well. _Never_. 'Well, it's just a massage, right? What could possibly go wrong?'

With her shaky hands, she nervously placed them on his broad, yet tense shoulders. The moment her skin came into contact with his behind the material lining, Endymion froze from the sudden attack of electricity. He wasn't expecting to be the nervous one. In fact, requesting a massage was just a ploy to get her all flustered, and yet the opposite effect was happening. On him.

Her fingers started their ministrations on his shoulders, with her thumbs rubbing in circular motions just behind his neck. Although she had never done a massage herself, she had them done to herself. 'This is how it's usually done, right? But I can't seem to get a good angle...' She stood up from her seat behind him, suddenly finding it much easier to massage him. As her fingers rubbed away at his tense muscles, she stared curiously at his back. She had never noticed how defined and large he was from behind, not to mention how muscular he was. Immediately, she felt her face warm up as she imagined the sights beneath his shirt. 'Pervert!' Shaking her head, she focused harder on her massaging, hoping to block out those pesky images that kept popping in her head.

Meanwhile, Endymion sat there desperately trying to fight back the groan that wanted to come out of his mouth. 'God! Those fingers... bloody magic is what they are.' Not only was she reliving the pain from his clenched muscles, but the way her fingers felt against him felt wonderful... a bit _too_ wonderful. 'Don't tell me I'm getting turned on from a simple massage?' Intoxicated by the warmth and movement of her hands against his body, he closed his eyes, unable to stop a small moan from escaping his mouth. "Mmmm... "

Serenity looked down at him in shock. 'Did... did he just moan?' Deciding she was simply hearing things, she continued to focus on her hands. Moving down his back, her fingers gently massaged the muscles there. Unconsciously rocking back and forth from the motion, Endymion felt like he was in heaven. He mentally noted to himself to make her do this more often. "Is this... helping?" she shyly asked.

'God yes!' "Y-yeah... it... it's helping," he spoke softly. "Go lower," he requested, feeling a jolt of pain on his sides. Her hands slowly trailed down his back and continued to rub him lower. Biting his lip to fight back that moan again as her hands went down his back, he felt himself starting to strain against his pants. 'Crap... I _am_ getting turned on by this!' Feeling like a teenager boy who just discovered the perks of puberty, Endymion shifted in his seat slightly to hide his flaring erection. "Could ... could you move to the sides?" he asked when he realized she wasn't hitting the right spot.

"Here?" She moved her hands to another place on his back.

"N-no..."

"...here?"

'Holy crap!' "N-no... to the side."

Frustrated, Serenity moved her hands to another spot. "Here?"

"No. Here," He reached behind him and grabbed the hands on his back and directed them to the sides of his chest. However when pulling her hands, he had accidentally pulled too hard and brought Serenity forward against him. Loosing her balance, she fell forward against him as her arms jutted through beneath his arms. Immediately stiffening when he felt Serenity's chest on his back, Endymion inhaled sharply.

Flooded by an ongoing rush of emotions, Serenity remained frozen as her body rested against him. In shock of what just happened, Serenity found herself unable to move. It didn't help when Endymion took her arms and wrapped them around his body, pinning her in place. "P-prince..." she whispered. "I... I'm..." Unable to form proper sentences from the warmth she was feeling emanating from Endymion's backside, she simply just closed her eyes, soaking in the sensations. He had a drug-like effect on her, for some reason.

He definitely wasn't expecting anything like this. All he wanted was to see her get all worked up, but it seems like any situation with Serenity ended up with them just intimately invading each other's personal space. Turning his head, his eyes met with hers. With her face up close, his eyes zoomed in on her lips. Protruding out so eagerly, Endymion's mouth began to water. Glistening just in front of him, he felt a sudden urge to claim her lips with his. Closing his eyes, he slowly inched his face forward, closing the distance between them.

Serenity's eyes widened when she saw his face slowly loom in. Literally trapped and unable to get away, Serenity began to panic. Although one part of her wanted to wait for his kiss, the other part urged her to move away. 'If you let him kiss you again, you know what will happen!'

Making her final decision, Serenity leaned her head back, just missing his lips. Realizing that he was only met with air, Endymion opened his eyes. She could see the confusion in his facial expression, but Serenity knew it had to be done. For a moment, their eyes stared at each other, as if messages were being relayed between them.

Sighing, Endymion released his hold on her hands and removed them from his body. Shifting properly in his seat, he returned to the paperwork in front of him, as a completely shell shocked Princess stood there beside him. When she hadn't moved for a while, Endymion looked up at her with concern. "What do you want?" he bluntly asked.

Frowning, Serenity was amazed at how his mood could switch so easily. "N-nothing! I just.. I'm..." '..still in shock from that kiss you almost gave me.'

"It's odd, Princess. Usually you would be yelling at me right now for trying to kiss you. Or throwing a fist. But this time, you're just standing there... not even an insult." Tapping the back of his pencil against the table, he smiled naughtily at her. "My, Princess, have you fallen for me?"

"What?!!?!" Serenity screeched. "I would NEVER! Don't.. don't even insult me like that! Me, fall... for you?! That's preposterous! That's insane! That's just absolutely ridiculous!"

His ego bruised, Endymion shot up angrily from his seat. "Ridiculous?! Princess, it's inevitable. I bet by the end of this week, you will have fallen madly in love with me," he challenged, staring her straight in the eyes.

"Hah! Who in their right mind would ever fall in love with a no good, egocentric, idiotic, childish, selfish jerk like you?!" she retorted, anger flaring in her voice.

"You, that's who." And just like he always had, Endymion caught her completely off guard as he snaked his arms around her body, reeling her up against him. Before she even had a chance to register what had just happened, he claimed her lips with his.

Overloaded completely by his sudden attack, Serenity's cry was muffled immediately by Endymion's lips. Infuriated, her hands flew to his chest and pressed as hard as she could to push him away. But with his vise-like grip around her waist, it was impossible. As her wrestling against him started to diminish, the effects of his kiss began to cloud her judgment and rationality. While her mind was screaming, 'Throw him off, throw him off!' her lips, her heart, and her body were screaming for more. More of him kissing her and more of him touching her.

At first frigid in his grasp, she eventually became weak and listless, slowly yet surely surrendering into his kiss. His lips somehow always managed to break down every defense she put up to keep him out. Every time she put up new ones, his kisses would just knock them right down. Basking in the wave of warmth, and sensual emotions, Serenity became absorbed in him.

His kiss, like the others, was full of raw passion and desire. His lips moved against hers so hungrily she felt as if he was going to consume her. His all too familiar tongue wasted no time in entering her mouth. Moaning, she brushed her tongue along his, taking turns entering each other's mouth. 'Who would have thought tongues would feel so erotic?' She realized that Endymion had taught her so many things about the human body these past few days. Whether or not that was a good thing, she had no clue.

Just when she felt her desire for him increase, Endymion ripped himself away from her, cold air rushing over her swollen lips. Eyes fluttering open, mind completely hazy, she looked up with confusion at the Prince. He simply smirked at her, arrogance seen throughout his entire face.

"Tell me again that you would never fall in love with me," he challenged. His words reminded her of why she was so angry in the first place. Glaring, she pushed against his chest, and pulled herself away from him.

"I admit, I'm partly to blame for letting that happen," she confessed, looking him straight in the eye. "Off guard, I may sometimes unfortunately let you kiss me, or let you touch me. But make no mistake about it, Prince. I will never, EVER, fall in love with you!" she yelled, clenching her fist into a ball. She desperately tried to fight the tears that wanted all but nothing to appear. She was angry, hurt and insulted, all at the same time. With the back of her hand, she wiped her lips clean, trying hard to forget how mind-shattering that kiss was. Ready to yell at him more, she paused when she saw something happen.

For the first time, a spark of humanity flickered across Endymion's face. His entire expression faltered. The cool, arrogant demeanor he had before was suddenly washed away. Even if it was for a split second, his eyes looked down sadly, as if his heart had just taken a horrible beating on her part. He looked.. genuinely hurt.

Serenity was hit with a pang of guilt. She knew that Endymion was not a man who always showed his true emotions freely to the world. However, at that moment, she knew inside that what she saw was real. Seconds after, his arrogant expression returned abruptly. Lips forming into a playful smile, ran a hand through the back of his head.

"Good riddens, too! How annoying it would be to have you following me around love stricken. I guess I'm lucky my charm doesn't work on you," he replied, forcing a laughter out. Serenity remained silent, unsure of what to say. Clearing his throat, he avoided her concerned eyes, and retained his focus on the task in front of him. "You can return to your quarters. I'll see you in the morning." Nodding, she turned around walked away, unable to shake off that horrible feeling inside.

However, upon reaching her bedroom door, it suddenly dawned upon Serenity that the Prince had not escorted her to her room. 'How am I supposed to get in without the key? Wait... this could be my chance to escape!' With the Prince occupied, and everyone else sleeping she could easily escape without them knowing. 'But then I'd still have to find a teleport spell to go back home, and wasn't there a forest surrounding the castle?'

Heaving a defeated sigh, Serenity knew escape was futile. She was stuck here, whether she liked it or not. All she had to do was deal with it until an opportunity found it's way to help her escape. Now, was definitely not it. 'That still means I need the Prince to open my door...'

Images of his saddened face came to her mind again. Although it was only for a moment, she knew what she saw. 'Did my words really hurt him? But why would they matter to him?' Deciding to no longer think about it, Serenity shook her head. 'I'll just get him to open my door, and that's it, nothing else!'

Retracing her steps, Serenity found herself in the all too familiar throne room. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Endymion's body collapsed over the table. 'Did he fall asleep?' Just then, she heard footsteps. Scrambling to the wall, she hid herself in the shadows of the dim-lit room, hoping that whoever had entered didn't notice her.

The person who approached Endymion's sleeping figure was Alani. Relieved, she knew she could just ask Alani to open her room. Just as she was about to call her, she stopped abruptly as she watched her tend to Endymion.

"Endy, are you awake?" she quietly asked. Receiving no response from the sleeping Prince, Alani smiled. Reaching behind her, she pulled out a white pillow. Carefully lifting his head gently above the table, she inserted the pillow below it, then gently laid his head down. The blanket that had clung loosely around him was readjusted as well by her, making sure to cover him more throughly.

'Alani must really care about him,' she thought as she watched her gently brush away a few bangs that danced above his closed eyes. A part of Serenity was still slightly curious about their relationship. She knew they were together once... but what had pulled them apart? How did they manage to maintain a close bond? And more importantly, why did all of this matter to her?

"Endy, did you make up with the Princess yet?" Alani asked, knowing very well he would not respond. "I know you're stubborn, but you shouldn't stay mad at her. She's a great person."

Emotionally touched, Serenity felt a smile creep upon her lips. 'Alani...' How lucky she was to have someone like her watching over her.

"You know, you're pretty adorable when you're sleeping. I never really noticed until now," she commented, while grazing his cheek with her fingers. Perhaps it wasn't right of her to spy like this. 'Maybe I should just leave and sleep on the couch after she leaves.' Deciding it would be the right thing to do, Serenity was about to move when something had stopped her. She opened her eyes wider, making sure that what she saw was actually happening.

And it was.

She watched in horror as Alani's head loomed in dangerously towards Endymion's. Close enough that she could feel his warm breath, she closed in and kissed him on the lips.

Frozen in terror, Serenity could not pry her eyes away as she observed Alani kissing the Prince. Moments after, she saw Endymion's head slowly rise above the pillow. His hands found their way around Alani's head as his lips clung to hers in mutual need. Kissing her with such intensity that Serenity had become so familiar with made her unknowingly jealous and bitter.

No longer able to watch, she spun around and ran as fast as she could towards her room, away from what she just saw. Her surprise to find it unlocked was brief and so she opened it with haste and shut it behind her. Leaning against it, Serenity shut her eyes as she tried to regain her breath, and attempted to block out the images she had just seen.

'But he was kissing her! They were kissing... he woke up, and kissed...' Opening her eyes suddenly, Serenity was surprised to feel something wet fall down her face. Hands flying to her cheeks, Serenity stared in disbelief at the droplets of tears on her fingers. 'I'm.. crying?' She found that wiping them away soon became futile, as the tears kept coming one after the other non stop.

Before she knew it, her legs gave up beneath her, causing her to slump to the floor. One by one, the tears dropped onto her thighs. While vigorously rubbing away at her eyes, she told herself to stop, otherwise her eyes would be swollen and puffy the next morning. Not listening to her own warnings, she pulled up her legs to her chest, and cried softly into her arms.

She wasn't sure if she had fallen asleep midst the tears, or perhaps she had simply cried herself to sleep. By the end of the night, Serenity had fallen asleep in front of the door, face soaked with tears, and swollen, puffy eyes.


	7. Chapter 6

**Prisoner of his Heart  
**Written by: Odango Atama

Here's chapter six, everyone. I wasn't originally intending to end it where it ended, but I found that if I did end it where I originally intended to, this would be an outrageously long chapter, so I stopped where I thought would be a good place to end. Things that may seem confusing now will be explained (hopefully) in the next chapter. Again, this is low on the steam factor, but if everything goes well, the next chapter should make up for the lack of it in these past few chapters. Enjoy, and thanks everyone who left a review. It really does motivate me to write more, especially with this chapter, which I found incredibly difficult to sit down and write. So thank you, and please enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Something strange was happening. One minute, he had been sleeping peacefully; dreaming about things that normal men dream about at his age. The next minute, his dream was taking on a whole new physical level. 

Someone was kissing him.

He didn't know _how_ exactly it happened. It sure wasn't Prince Endymion's fault he couldn't distinguish at that moment between a real kiss and a dream kiss. It wasn't his fault that the two temporarily blended together. And it sure wasn't his fault he had whoever kissed him on the table squirming beneath him.

It sure as hell wasn't his fault that the person he was kissing was Alani.

He was wondering why these lips upon his felt so nostalgic. He had lost track of how long ago it was since he had passionately kissed her like this. Perhaps it was only a few years ago, but to him, it felt like an eternity ago. Although her lips flooded his mind with memories of the past, they felt strangely foreign to him. It didn't feel right to him. Kissing her felt wrong, and not in the arousing way. It reminded him of a part of his past that he had been trying so hard to forget. None of it felt right at all. Not like it did with... like it did with...

The image of the Princess flashed before him and the many times he had abruptly kissed her on the lips. He remembered how wonderfully strange it was, but at the same time how _right _it felt. It was so different from any other kiss he had, especially this one he was sharing with Alani. It was the exact opposite, in fact. Right now, every part of his body didn't feel right at all.

Finally managing to gain control of the messy situation, Endymion ripped his mouth away from Alani's. Breathing heavily beneath him, she stared up at him with a glazed look in her eyes. Lips swollen, mouth open, eyes sparkling, he had completely forgotten how beautiful she looked like that. But that wasn't the point! This was all wrong, all of it, and he had to make sure it would never happen again.

Brow furrowed, Endymion stared down at her sternly. "Hey, why did you kiss me?" He knew for sure he wasn't the one who started it. He was sleeping, for God's sake!

"I was just giving you a kiss good night," she explained, while trying to regain her composure. "But then you went crazy and grabbed me by the head. Then you turned me around and well..." she trailed off, motioning to their current position. "Endy, when did you become an amazing kisser? If I had known you were like this, I wouldn't have--"

Endymion brought a finger to her lips to silence her. Without saying a word, he pushed himself off her, and positioned himself a few steps away from her. "This really shouldn't have happened." He felt uneasy about it all. Something inside of him didn't feel right at all.

"But you kiss girls all the time... " she pouted, siting upright on the table.

He looked down at her and sighed heavily. "But, you're not a girl to me, Alani." Realizing that the comment didn't come out right, Endymion held out his hands and gestured for her not to get angry. "Wait, that's not what I meant. I mean, you're... you're more important to me than those girls..." he explained bashfully. "You're... different."

Dangling her legs playfully over the table, Alani smiled, clearly enjoying his embarrassment. "But I've always been different to you, Endy. That never stopped you before. Why is it now, so weird to kiss me?"

There was something odd about the tone she was giving. It's not like she was angry or insulted. It was as if she was trying to pry an answer from him. An answer which she was just waiting for him to say. "It couldn't just be because it's 'wrong.' 'Wrong' has never stopped you before, Endy. Are you sure it's because I'm different that you can't kiss me? Or is it something else..?" Emphasizing on the last word, she looked up inquisitively at him beneath her lashes.

'What did she mean by that?' Frowning, Endymion took a step forward. "What are you talking about, Alani?"

Looking to the side, Alani shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe I'm just talking nonsense..." she wondered, while hopping off the table. Striding up to him, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Good night, Endy. Think about what I said, would you?" And before Endymion got a chance to say anything, she turned and walked away. He simply watched her from behind as her figure disappeared into the distance.

Frustrated and definitely confused as hell, he took a seat on the nearby chair. Burying his face in his hands, Endymion could feel the stress of the day's events all over his body. 'What did she mean by 'something else?'' Alani had always been confusing, but if there was one thing consistent about her, it was that she always looked out for him. Could she be trying to make him realize something? Up until that moment he kissed her, there was always the thought of Alani and him getting back together in the back of his mind. Even if it was 0.001, the possibility between them was always there.

However, when he kissed her, he realized that percentage immediately dropped to zero. The idea of their relationship seemed so frighteningly wrong to him. He treasured her more as his confident, his friend, his sister... anything but a lover. That kiss made him realize he could no longer see her as he did those years ago. 'Is that what she wanted me to say? That I didn't see her that way? No, that doesn't make sense...'

Laying his head on the cool glass table beneath him, Endymion closed his eyes. 'Women! Why don't they just tell how they're feeling? Why do they have to say it so secretly?! Don't they know men are too stupid and dense to figure these things out?' Sitting up, he grabbed a bunch of papers nearby that had been tossed out of the way earlier by Alani's intrusion. 'I don't have time to worry about these little things. I have important tasks at hand!' Pulling out whatever strength he had left, he used it to focus intently at the sheets in front of him. If he kept himself occupied on something else, perhaps it would take off all that stress added by Alani's confusing words.

It only took fifteen minutes before he had given up.

Tossing the sheets aside, Endymion buried his face in his hand. Sleep deprived, distressed and perplexed as hell, he knew it was futile to try and work his troubles away. 'I need coffee. Maybe I should wake up Serenity to make me some--' He paused mid-thought when a sudden realization dawned upon him. 'Wait... didn't I sent Serenity to her room by herself? How could she have gotten in without the key?'

Knowing the only possible answer to that question, Endymion's eyes widened with horror. Bolting up from his seat, he ran as fast as he could towards Serenity's room. 'There's no way she could have escaped! The alarms would have gone off, the guards would have caught her... but what if she somehow managed to disable them? What if she got outside and went into the forest?!' Endymion knew the answer to that question as well. If anyone stepped foot in that forest without a proper mode of transportation... they were done for.

His entire body filled with dread as disturbing images of Serenity lying alone in the cold snow began to fill his mind. That thought alone was more frightening than he could have possibly imagined. He silently prayed to whatever higher being that was up there that what he was thinking wasn't true. 'Please, please!'

Finally reaching her room, he immediately turned the doorknob, surprised to find it unlocked. Opening it with haste, his eyes immediately darted to the bed. Finding it empty, he began to worry even more. Frantically searching the other sides of the room, he panicked when he couldn't find her anywhere. 'Shit!' he cursed. 'If something happened to her... if she... if she...!'

Just as he was about to run out of her room to call on a search party, he stopped when something had caught his eye. Eyes traveling downward, he was completely flabbergasted when the woman he was looking so desperately for was there, literally beneath his feet. Sprawled along the floor on her side, her head rested along her arm while the other one rested at her side. Her golden hair draped the floor like a blanket beneath her.

Scrambling to his knees, he placed his arm behind her neck, setting her upright. Two fingers pressed against her neck to check for a pulse, and was ecstatic to have her skin pulse against his fingers in a rhythmic beat. Letting out a sigh of relief, he felt his body relax. The Princess was safe and alive. An idiot, maybe, but breathing and well, never the less. Pulling her body close to him, he held her tightly in his embrace. "Idiot... you know how much you made me worry?" he whispered, closing his eyes. In his moment of peace, the warmth of her body made him suddenly realize what exactly he was doing, causing him to pull away abruptly. Wait, what had just come over him?

Coughing off his embarrassment, he tried his best to ignore what he had just done. He knew very well that Serenity couldn't sleep on the floor like this. He placed his arm behind her knees and gently lifted her off the floor. Walking towards the bed, he gently laid her down, trying to be as careful as to not to wake her up. Pulling the covers over her body, he secured the sides so that the warmth wouldn't escape. Serenity occasionally stirred, but for the most part she remained a heavy sleeper.

'I wonder why she fell asleep on the floor. Especially when the bed was right in front of her.' Leaning over, he gently brushed away the bangs from her closed eyes. His eyes fixated down at her for a few moments, observing her sleeping form, amazed at how angelic and beautiful she looked at that moment. Shaking off the weird thoughts, he decided to leave before any more unusual thoughts entered his head. However, something seemed odd about the way she looked.

Curiously running a finger along her cheeks, he felt something crusty and slightly wet beneath his fingertips. 'Are these... tears? Was she crying?' Eyebrows furrowing, he looked at her bewilderedly. He couldn't recall saying anything to her that would make her cry. 'Then again, you _are_ holding her prisoner. She's away from home, away from her Mother, in a foreign land, and tormented daily by the evil Prince... but I never knew it would make her this sad...'

A wave of guilt swept across him had him worried greatly. He was feeling compassionate for her? That wasn't a good sign, was it? Not to mention just a few seconds ago he was scared out of his wits when he thought she had escaped. Why was he so worried that she might have escaped? The reason couldn't just be that he would have lost a good leverage to the war with the Moon. Could it be that deep down... deep down in his heart... he really didn't hate the Princess after all? That in fact, he actually... he possibly... perhaps...

Not wanting to even think of that possibility, Endymion shook his head vigorously. No, he couldn't...! She was his enemy! Sure they had some intimate encounters before. Sure he kissed her a bunch of times. Sure he thought about her every day and every night. Sure he dreamed about her in ways that he shouldn't have been thinking. But that didn't mean anything, right? 'But didn't you say before that kissing her felt so right?' Not wanting to deal with it anymore, he quickly exited the room as fast as possible. Nothing made sense anymore. But before leaving, he took one last reassuring glance over his shoulder to make sure Serenity was indeed still sleeping in the bed before closing the door behind him. Smiling to himself, he couldn't help but think...

...she really did look beautiful when she was sleeping.

* * *

She looked like _hell_. 

'Damnitcraphell!'

Angered to the point that her curses ended up as a long, incoherent swear, Serenity grunted in annoyance at her reflection in the spoon. Although it was distorted from the shape, she could tell that somehow during the night, her eyes managed to puff up so much that she could swear something could have been hiding under them. Although they were no longer red, there were still signs that she had been crying--no, _bawling_ her eyes out. 'The Prince is never going to let this go! I can just hear him teasing me now... Besides, it was his fault I was crying in the first place!'

Why did she cry over him, anyways? All she saw was him kissing Alani. They were old lovers, so perhaps something sparked between them last night. In a normal situation, there should have been nothing to be sad about. But what did she end up doing last night? Crying. Crying, wailing, bawling over what she saw. There was no reasonable explanation to any of it! Well, there was one, but she couldn't allow herself to think about it. 'Thinking leads to formulating thoughts, which leads to ideas, which leads to facts, which ultimately leads to truth... and who wants truth, anyways? Not me, that's for sure!' Her plan was just to simply forget about the whole thing. Push it somewhere in the depths of her memories and lock it away forever. As far she was concerned, nothing happened last night. Or the night before that. Or the week before that. Or..

She missed it when things were simple. Prince Endymion enemy hatred. 'But nooo, now it's all messed up. He had to go and mess it up with his touchiness, and his pervertedness, and his arrogance, and his good looks and---wait, good looks? What?' Shaking her head, Serenity tried desperately not to think about the matter. She had to figure out a way to hide the hideous bags under her eyes, otherwise she would never hear the end of it from Endymion. Tugging harder on her bangs, she arranged them as best as she could so that they would hopefully draw attention away from her eyes. 'Well, hopefully he won't notice...'

"Oi, Moonling, hurry up with that coffee!" a maid behind her demanded. Putting the spoon away, Serenity nodded. She would have to deal with her eye problems another day. Right now, the Prince needed his coffee. She simply prayed and hoped he wouldn't notice the atrocity that existed beneath her eyes.

Once the last drip fell from the coffee maker, she pulled out the hot cup by the handle. Deciding to finally face the music, she took one big breath before walking through the doors into the throne room. However, what she saw after that was something she was not expecting at all.

"Oi," Endymion called, startling Serenity completely. The very weary Prince Endymion stood before her, looking as if he had not slept in days. With eye bags just as bad as hers, his hair was in desperate need of combing. His newly grown stubble gave him a more ruggedly, older, and more handsome appearance, causing Serenity to blush slightly. At least this time his white dress shirt was ironed.

"My God, Prince... you look... terrible," she commented, in complete awe at how different he looked each day she saw him. In actuality, he looked... oddly... really.. nice... "Did you even sleep at all yesterday?"

"Mmm," he mumbled while scratching the back of his head. "A little. What about you? What are those bags doing under your eyes?" Before she got a chance to react, Endymion's hand reached out to her face. His right hand cupped her cheek as his thumb gently trailed lightly beneath her eye. His sudden touch caused her face to warm up, which was bad, since he would definitely be able to feel it. "Looks like you were crying..." he noted, moving in closer to examine her face.

"I wasn't crying," she fibbed, alarmed by his sudden closeness. His eyes were peering into hers so intently, it frightened her.

"Liar," he accused. "Not sleeping well one night won't give you bags like these."

Pulling herself away from his warm grasp, Serenity's eyes remained focus on the ground. "So what if I was crying? What does it matter to you?" she demanded, trying to regain her composure.

Ignoring her question completely, he answered with one of his own. "Why were you crying?" he asked again. Deciding to change the topic, Serenity held out the piping hot drink in her hand.

"Here's your coffee," she said, still avoiding his gaze.

"Oh. Right." His hands reached out to grab the handle, but in doing so, his fingers brushed against hers so softly. Startled by the sudden touch, Serenity pulled away from the cup before Endymion could grab a proper hold of it, causing it to fall to the ground. It shattered to pieces at their feet, splashing Serenity's exposed legs with steaming hot coffee.

"Ow!" she cried, reflexively stepping back.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concern in his voice.

Nodding, she rubbed her leg vigorously. "Yeah, it only splashed me a little..." Realizing that there were broken shards of glass beneath their feet, she quickly got down on her knees to take care of it. "I'm sorry, I'm just a bit jumpy."

"Don't touch those, I'll get someone else to clean up after--"

But before Serenity even registered his words, a jolt of pain ran through her finger as she accidentally cut the tip. "Ow!" she cried, pulling her hand back. Immediately after, Endymion got to his knees and grabbed her hand to examine the cut. "Oi, it's okay, it's just a scrape--" Before she could finish her sentence, she stopped herself when he placed her finger entered his warm, wet mouth.

Her face immediately flared up at this sudden action. She felt his tongue lovingly lap away at her wound, caressing it so with such gentleness she didn't know he was capable of having. She simply stared at him paralyzed as his tongue and lips worked magic on her finger. Not only did she feel her face warm up, but her entire body did as well. 'Don't tell me I'm... getting turned on by this?'

He pulled her finger out of his mouth, as the cold air washed over it. "There's a first aid kit in the kitchen, so there should be some band aids in there," he explained. "The cut isn't too deep, but disinfect it just in case. Want me to go with you?" Serenity shook her head. Releasing his hold around her hand, she held her hand close to her chest. Standing up, she turned on her heel and walked through the doors in complete silence.

In utter shock at what just happened, Serenity clutched her chest as her heart rate raced against her chest. She was completely flustered! She swore her face was hotter than the coffee she spilled. Luckily, the first aid kit hung next to the fridge by the kitchen sink, which was right in front of her. Opening it, she found a box of band aids. Running her hand first under the water, she then carefully placed the band aid around her cut after her hand was dry.

She couldn't believe what had just happened! He stuck her finger in his mouth! Albeit, he had done worse things to her, but still! This was after she swore him off completely. 'But I also swore him off completely before, and things still happened...' Groaning, she hit her head gently against the fridge. Why did she keep letting him do those things to her?! Over and over they kept happening, because she kept _letting_ them happen. 'I must be sick.. mentally, physically, emotionally sick...'

Switching on the coffee maker again, she placed another coffee mug beneath it. What was wrong with her? She dropped his coffee because his hands brushed against hers? 'What am I, in the fourth grade? I acted as if he had cooties, or something...! You're a Princess, for God's sake! Act like one!' But no pep talk in the world could prepare herself for Endymion's torture. 'He must not know I feel like this. If he knew the power he had over me... that would be the end of me right there!'

After a few minutes of self-loathing, the coffee finished brewing. Grabbing a firm hold on the handle to make sure this mistake would not happen again, she took a hold of the cup and headed towards the throne room. She just wanted this day to be over. Unfortunately for her, it had just started.

"Sorry about what happened before, but here's your coff...ee..." she trailed off as her feet stopped meters before the table. Her eyes grew wide at the image displayed in front of her. If she hadn't been holding onto the coffee mug so hard, she would have definitely dropped it for the second time.

Prince Endymion was sitting in his chair, but that wasn't what caused Serenity to momentarily freeze. It was Alani, hovering behind him, with her arms wrapped around his neck that bothered her. Her face rested so closely next to Endymion's, that a simple turn of his head, and they'd be kissing.

'Did something happen last night to make their relationship like this now?' The sheer idea of it made her heart ache. Why did this bother her so? She should at least feel happy that her friend Alani was happy, but happy was far from what she was feeling. Hand clenched at the side, Serenity fought her hardest to stop the tears forming in the back of her eyes. She wanted to turn and run away, but for some reason her feet remained glued to the ground.

"Ah! Princess Serenity, when did you get here?" Alani asked, glancing over at her, arms still wrapped around Endymion. The moment Endymion saw Serenity, his eyes widened. Instantly, he unhooked himself from Alani's hold, and stood up from his seat.

After a few seconds, Serenity took a deep breath, and plastered on the biggest smile she could. She couldn't let them know what she was feeling. She didn't even know what it was going on inside of her. "Ahh, I'm sorry, was I interrupting something?" Learning from last time, she walked up to the two and placed the coffee mug on the table. "Here's your coffee, Prince. I'm sorry about what happened last time. It definitely won't happen again!" she reassured, trying hard to maintain the cheeriness in her voice.

"Endy was just telling me you cut yourself. Are you okay?" Alani asked.

"Mmhmm! It was just a small cut, anyways," Serenity replied. Although Alani smiled at her, Endymion's face remained serious, staring at her so grimly, as if he wasn't buying her act. How was he able to see through her so easily? Feeling uneasy from his piercing stare, Serenity took a step back, avoiding his gaze. "Well, I'm going to see if they need anything in the back..." Turning her back to them, she could still feel Endymion's eyes on her. Walking away as fast as she could, she knew she had to get far away from him. Nothing about him made sense to her.

His foot inched forward instinctively when he saw Serenity take off, but a hand clamped around his wrist, pulling him back. "Don't chase after her," she insisted, eyes remaining on the floor. Sighing, Endymion pulled his hand away from her.

"Alani... what are you trying to pull?" he demanded. "This isn't like you."

"I'm not trying to pull anything," she argued. "You can't chase after her, anyways. Today is "The Day", remember? After you sign those, we have to go."

"Oh, right..." he groaned, hanging his head down. "The same usual spot?"

"No, we had to move it today. They're doing reconstruction on the old room," she explained. Sighing again, Endymion sat himself down again. "Just finish those up, and we'll head there now." Grabbing the cup of coffee, Alani smiled. "I'll warm up your coffee, okay?"

After receiving a reassuring nod, Alani picked up the cup and headed towards the kitchen. Smiling, she was pleased that everything was falling exactly into place. Now, all she needed was the Princess.

* * *

Splashing herself with the cold, refreshing water, Serenity felt somewhat relieved as the cool feeling rushed over her face, soothing her aching nerves somewhat. After her storm off, she luckily managed to find a bathroom door. Immediately locking herself in it, she proceeded to cool down her burning face, and at the same time hopefully, calm herself down. Drying herself off with a nearby towel, she examined her face in the mirror in front of her. Her eyes were still a little swollen, but overall she looked fine. 

Inside, however, she was a mess. One minute she was dumbstruck from Endymion putting her finger in his mouth, and the next she was on the verge of tears when she saw Alani and him so intimately close. The only reasonable explanation for this was that she was jealous, but that would have to mean... 'I... like the Prince?' Shaking her head at that ridiculous thought, Serenity laughed it off. 'No way! There's no way I would ever like that jerk! Especially after I told him I would never fall in love with him... how embarrassing that would be!'

But that really was the only explanation she could think of. Maybe, somehow, she really was falling for him. It explained why she let him do all those things to her, not to mention those unmentionable dreams, and it sure as hell explained her seething jealousy and urge to have Alani shot and killed. 'But it can't be! I can't like him...! There's just no, possible way...! There must be another explanation to this...!' Why would she fall in love with a man who would make her feel horrible for the rest of her life? He would torment her daily, and just make her life a living hell. 'Why in the world would I ever be attracted to that?'

Sure, he had his good points. He was definitely good looking. His smile, his eyes, his hair...not to mention his chiseled body... but looks weren't everything! 'But then again, he does have his nice moments... like, when he was concerned about my cut... and that time in the kitchen... ' Plus, he had the ability to pleasure her in ways she never thought possible. Blushing, she recalled those intimate moments with him, and how passionate he was when handling her.

'Oh boy, something is definitely wrong with me. Even if he has his nice moments, that doesn't mean he's a good person! He's selfish, arrogant, an idiot, and hello, not to mention, he's the leader of your warring nation! Remember how many of your people died under his authority? Could you really betray your kingdom like that?' Utterly, utterly puzzled, Serenity heaved a heavy sigh. 'I just want to go home. Away from the complicatedness, away from the jealousy, and definitely, definitely away from the lecherousness.'

A knock on the door shook her out of her thoughts. "Princess?" It was Alani, from the other side. "Are you in there?" she called.

Frowning, Serenity wondered how she managed to find her. She had to face the music some time, might as well be now. "Yeah, I'm here."

"Could you open the door? I have to talk to you about something," she requested. Knowing there was no possible way to get her to leave, Serenity gave in.

"Sure, Alani." She was fully expecting Alani to talk to her about her new relationship with the Prince, posing the awkward yet necessary question, 'Are you okay with it?' She prepared herself for answering properly, making sure not to arise any suspicion of Serenity's possible feelings for him.

What she _wasn't_ expecting when she opened the door was for Alani's hand to cover her mouth with a cloth. A cloth that smelt oddly like chemicals. Chemicals that strangely made her feel really... really... really sleepy...

Everything around her started to spin, as she collapsed in Alani's arms. All she could remember was seeing her face stare down at her, before everything went black.

* * *

Train collisions. Jackhammers. A roof caving in. Bricks falling from a rooftop, then smashing into the ground into tiny little pieces. 

Those mental images did no justice in summing up the pain she felt upon wakening. It was as if someone ripped into her head, pulled our her brain, inserted all sorts of colliding objects, closed it up, and just let all hell break loose.

'Yeah, that pretty much sums it up,' Serenity thought, clutching onto her aching forehead. 'What in the world happened?' One minute she was in the bathroom, the next she was... well... she really didn't know where she was. Although her eyes were still adjusting to the room, it was very dark around her. The only thing lighting up the room was whatever was coming from the window outside. It wasn't even sunlight. It looked like... 'Moonlight? It's.. night time already?!'

"It was chloroform," a voice spoke. Startled that someone else was in the room with her, Serenity quickly pushed herself as far away from the voice as possible. Immediately running into a wall, the fear of being trapped with a stranger started to settle in.

'But wait, that voice sounded familiar...' Her mind was too dizzy to recall who exactly it was, but she recognized it.

"I didn't think she was capable of doing that, to be honest. I should have seen it coming, though... it all makes sense now..."

Peering into the darkness ahead of her, she could only make out a few visible features. The person's face wasn't in the light, but she could recognize the clothing. Black pants, white dress shirt... broad shoulders...

And then it all started to click. 'That voice... the clothing... it's... it's...!'

"P-prince?!" she gasped in disbelief. He moved his head into the moonlight that managed to make it's way through the blinds, confirming her suspicions. She was trapped in an unknown room with the one person she hoped to avoid for as long as she could?! Who would do such a cruel thing to her?!

"How's your head?" Endymion inquired.

"Oh, much better now that you're here," she bitterly replied, sarcasm dripping from her tongue. "What _are_ you doing here, anyways? Never mind that, what am _I_ doing here?"

"I honestly have no clue," he sighed, resting his head against the wall behind him. "I was signing some papers, and all of a sudden I blacked out, and woke up here, maybe a few minutes before you did," he explained. "But I guess this works out for me. I was supposed to be hiding from someone, anyways."

"Hiding?" Serenity asked. "From whom?"

"This countess that has an oddly disturbing obsession with me. She usually comes to the castle around this time looking for me. Alani usually sticks me in some secret room in the castle, but today... I guess she had other plans." Chuckling, he smirked at her. "Lucky for me, I didn't get a pounding headache."

"Ooh, lucky you," she mumbled. "Who's this countess?"

"Her name is Beryl," he replied.

"Beryl... eh? That sounds oddly familiar..." Looking around, she returned to the matter at hand. She needed to find a way out of here. Closed corridors with the Prince usually never ended well. 'Who am I kidding? They _never_ ended well!' Using the wall as a form of support, Serenity slowly tried to get up on her feet. Whether she got up too fast, or the after effects of the color...foam, or whatever it was, decided to pop by for a visit, the room started to spin and she began to feel light headed.

"Oi!" Endymion yelled, scrambling to his feet. "What are you doing?!"

"Trying to find a... way out... but do you think you could stop the room from spinning for a bit?" she requested, before her legs gave out beneath her. However, just in the nick of time, Endymion swooped in and grabbed her before she hit the floor.

"Idiot! What were you thinking?!" he scolded, holding on tightly to her small frame.

"I don't know, Prince. I've never been knocked out with color form before," she grumbled, holding tightly onto his shirt.

"It's _chloroform_, idiot. Just because you've never been knocked out with it before, doesn't mean you shouldn't know if you're feeling dizzy, you don't just stand up when you feel like it!" An exasperated sigh escaped his mouth, as he held on tighter. "Sometimes I wonder what you'd do if I wasn't here to save you every time."

"Save me? Someone needs to save _me_ from YOU!" The irony of the situation didn't occur to her until that moment. Here she was saying she needed saving, when he was the reason why she was able to stand up right. It also didn't occur to her until now that he had been holding onto her as if his life depended on it. And of course, it didn't occur to her until now that she was actually _letting_ him hold her. She had been letting him do a lot of things to her, lately.

"Oh, really? So, if I let go, you'll be fine?" he challenged.

"Of course. Once the room stops spinning, I mean," she mumbled, fingers mindlessly playing with his shirt collar. Taking a deep breath, she never noticed until now how nice he smelt. It was an exhilarating mix of roses and spices that might as well have been a drug, because it smelt sinfully wrong. 'Oh God... this colorform is getting to me!' "Where are we, anyways?" she wondered.

"Before you woke up, I managed to look around. It looks to me like an old storage closet," he explained. Inhaling, he also involuntarily took a whiff of her scent. 'Her hair smells like coconuts,' he mused, while resting his chin on the top of her head.

"It seems awfully small," she commented, remembering how fast Endymion was in catching her.

"Yeah, that's why we never use it anymore. It's in an old wing of the castle. No one comes down here, except for an occasional cleaning."

"I'll remember that the next time Minami asks me to clean 'an old wing'," she joked, although she wouldn't be surprised if it actually happened.

Chuckling, he nodded. "Gotta love that girl," he grinned, remembering the last time he and Serenity encountered each other due to Minami's presence. "How did you end up here?" he inquired.

"I don't know! I was in the bathroom, and I opened the door.. and I saw Alani, and that's when it all went blank. Do you think she had something to do with it?" she asked, while looking up at him. His profile looked lovely in the moonlight. 'Kind of ironic, isn't it?' she thought.

"I _know_ she definitely had something to do with it. She came back with my coffee, and I thought it tasted funny. She must have drugged it with something, because all I remember is passing out after that." Sighing, he peered out the blinds in the door. "What is that girl up to?"

"Shouldn't you know? You're her boyfriend, after all..." she spoke, trying to hide the bitterness in her voice.

"For the last time, she's not my girlfriend anymore! I don't know what was up with her today. She just started acting like that this morning," he explained, returning his chin on her head. His hand started to unconsciously stroke her back, moving up and down slowly, causing Serenity shiver slightly against his touch.

To say she wasn't ecstatic from what he said would be a lie. Some part of her felt happy to hear that they weren't together. But it still didn't explain their kiss last night. "But... I saw you two kissing last night..." she confessed, hiding her face in his shirt.

Endymion stared down at her inquisitively. She saw that kiss last night? 'Is that why she was crying? And why is she burying her face in my shirt?' "Oi," he called, looking down at her. "Is that why you were crying last night?"

Serenity gasped as she stared up at him like a deer in headlights. How did he know she was crying? "I wasn't crying!" she tried to argue.

"Liar," he glared at guilty face. "Who do you think it was that brought you to your bed last night, hmm? I found you in front of your door, face soaked with tears!" he declared, moving his face closer to hers. It was until then that they both realized the close proximity they had allowed each other to be in. Embarrassed that he had figured out her secret, Serenity placed her palms flat on his chest and pushed as hard as she could. Caught by surprise, he couldn't stop himself from unhooking his arms and backing away from her, as the force of the push was too hard for him to stop.

Keeping her head low to not only avoid his penetrating eyes, but also to hopefully hide the embarrassment she felt. He discovered her last night? Is that why she was in her bed this morning? Because of him?! There was nothing she could say to his accusation. There was no possible lie she could muster up that was somewhat believable. He had caught her in the act, and there was no way out. The only thing she could possibly do was either admit to it, or ignore it. Of course, she chose to ignore it.

Endymion, however, was not the type of person to let things go. Especially when things finally started to make sense! The time Serenity ignored him for that week after finding out about Alani and him, the unknown reason for crying, and just early this morning the fake cheeriness she put on when she saw them together. It all started to come together.

Serenity was jealous!

He couldn't believe it at first, especially when she told him flat out she would never fall for him. Yet here she was, completely speechless! No witty retort, no comeback, nothing. This inflated his ego to beyond the normal limits. The dear old Moon Princess was infatuated with him! This was absolutely delicious!

Lips forming into a mischievous smile, he took a step forward. "You're jealous!" he exclaimed, pointing a finger at her. Avoiding his eyes as much as possible, Serenity remained fixated on a spot on the wall next to her.

"No I'm not," she muttered, gritting her teeth. She knew he was already jumping to conclusions. How could he assume things so easily? She didn't even fully understand what she felt!

"Yes you are," he grinned, moving in closer. "I can practically smell it!"

"I'm not jealous! W-why would I be jealous? I was crying because... because... I missed home!" she explained, completely unaware that he had just backed her into the wall, which wasn't that hard to do considering the room was only a few meters long.

"Oh, really? Then why did you ignore me for that week?" he asked, resting his arm on the wall beneath her next to her head.

"Because I was embarrassed!" she spluttered. At least that was half-true.

Endymion frowned. Perhaps he was assuming things. All the things she was saying did make sense. "Then, what about this morning? You were literally frozen in your spot when you saw us together."

"Because! I... I really did think I was interrupting you two! You know how awkward those situations are..." Those were the best reasons she could come up with under pressure. She could still feel his piercing gaze on the side of her face. Inside, she prayed and hoped he would buy it. At least until she figured out her own feelings.

Endymion was annoyed. Her alibis added up, and it only made him look like he was jumping to conclusions. Perhaps that's what he was doing. Looking into things that weren't really there. Perhaps deep down he _wanted_ them to be true, because then that meant he could finally admit as well that he too... that he... he... Shaking the thoughts out of his head, he focused intently on Serenity. 'No, this isn't about what I'm feeling. This is about her!' Knowing that he had lost this battle, Endymion removed his hand from the wall.

Serenity let out a sigh of relief when Endymion backed away from her. That meant that he bought it! But why was he so intent on proving he was right? For his ego? Or was it for something else? "You almost seem disappointed," she found herself saying aloud.

"Pfft," he waved it off with a flick of his wrist. "Don't make me laugh. I know you're attracted to me, and it'll only be a few more days until you figure it out yourself."

"Me, attracted to _you_? Who here can't keep their lecherous hands off me?" she challenged. Endymion was relieved that the room was dark, for if Serenity had seen his dumbfounded look, she would have definitely not let that go. "You even admitted that you were 'lusting' over me! So tell me, Prince, who exactly is attracted to whom?" she confronted, taking a confident step forward. It was always back and forth arguments between them. Back and forth, which then eventually lead to... well... other things. Fearing this routine, Serenity took a small step backwards.

It was Endymion's turn to be rendered speechless. She was right. He was definitely attracted to her. Although he tried to deny it many times before, he couldn't help himself around her. She was a bloody temptress! It wasn't his fault she tempted him with everything she did! Her innocence, her naivety, not to mention her gorgeous looks, that curvy body, and those legs that went on for miles and miles. He was a man, of course he'd be attracted to something that looked good, even if _it_ happened to be a Moonling. He wasn't proud of it, but he sure as hell couldn't deny it anymore. 'Plus, it doesn't _mean_ anything, right? It's not like I'm in love with her...right?'

Still, he wouldn't let her win this battle. He knew she had to be attracted to him. There's no way she would let him do those things to her without feeling the same way, but there was no way in hell he was going to fully admit it first, even though he sort of slipped up before. "Whatever. You were jealous, and that's all that matters."

Amazed that he was still locking in on that, Serenity scoffed. "You're kidding me! You're _still_ on that?! I told you, I was NOT jealous!"

"I bet you were!"

"I bet you I wasn't!"

"What if I told you Alani and I had sex last night?" he proposed. Serenity remained still. She didn't even register when he said 'What if?'. All she heard was "Alani" "I" and "sex". Unable to stop herself from reacting, Serenity's mouth dropped open, looking at him with complete shock.

Grinning, Endymion took a confident step forward. "Told you. You're jealous," he teased, hitting her lightly on the nose with his finger. Mortified that at what he had done, Serenity's face grew red with anger. She couldn't believe she fell for that! "It's okay, Serenity. I'm a good looking guy, it's only natural that you would be attracted to me."

Covering her ears with her hands, Serenity closed her eyes. "Shut up!"

"If you want, I can swear off all the other girls. Will that help your jealousy?" he mused, grinning happily at her aggravated state. He had _clearly_ won this battle, and definitely had a good heads up for the war. He needed to gloat as much as he could before she somehow turned this around on him. Pulling her hands away from her ears, he continued to torment her so. "So, when did you fall in love with me? Was it in the dungeon? The library? When was it?"

Gritting her teeth more, she avoided his arrogant stare. "Shut up! I'm not in love with you!"

"Don't worry, Princess, I think it's really cute," he said softly, his lips forming into a smile. Caught back by the sudden change in tone, Serenity glanced up at him, flabbergasted. Not knowing what to say to that, she could feel her cheeks warm up again. "Got you again!" he exclaimed. "My God, Princess, you're absolutely, positively smitten by me!"

Distraught that he caught her off guard once again, Serenity knew she wouldn't be able to survive another one. She couldn't just stand by and have him embarrass her like this! Adrenaline running through her veins, Serenity allowed her instincts to take it's course.

"It's alright Princess, your secret is safe with me."

She curled her hand into a fist.

"Of course, I'm going to have to tell Alani. Oh, and the Shittennou. And the guards. Oh, the generals, too. They love gossip."

She reeled her hand back.

"It'll be the talk of the town! Moon Princess, smitten by handsome, good looking Earth Prince. What do you think, Princess?"

"I think you need to shut.. the hell.. up!" she screamed, as she swung her fist at Endymion's face. Her fist came into cold contact with the side of his mouth, that she could literally feel his teeth beneath her knuckles. The sudden force of her punch threw Endymion off balance, causing him to fall backwards. Even though the darkness, Serenity could only watch in silence as Endymion's arms flailed side to side as he continued to fall.

"Holy crap..." she whispered, amazed at what had just happened. She actually, punched the Prince of the Earth! She could get her head cut off for this! 'But it had to be done!' He was pissing the hell out of her! Besides, it was just a punch. It's not like he would die from it, right?

All that was heard afterwards was the sound of his head coming into contact with the wall behind him. Eyes widening, Serenity had completely forgotten just how small this room was. 'Crap! He probably hit his head! What if he had a concussion? Or an aneurysm? Or what if he... he... he died?' She quickly rushed to his side. Scrambling to her knees, her fingers immediately flew to his neck, searching for his pulse. 'Good, he's still alive.' She couldn't really see his face in the dark, but parts of his body were being shined by the moonlight. He was still breathing, which was good. "Oi, Prince! Are you okay?!" she cried, shaking him gently.

"God damnit..." he groaned, awakened slightly by her shaking. "Why the hell did you..."

"Are you bleeding?" she asked, hoping that it wasn't the case. Her fingers trailed over the side of his lip where she had punched him. Flinching beneath her touch, Endymion groaned in pain. She felt a wet, sticky substance, different from the feeling of saliva. "You're bleeding!"

"Well, you _did_ sock me in the mouth, idiot."

Ignoring his comment, she had to check the back of his head. "Oi, Prince, you're going to have to sit up for a second."

"First you hit me... then you're ordering me around...?" he asked in utter disbelief.

"First of all, you deserved that punch! Second of all, I didn't know you'd hit your head!"

"Idiot... this room is so small!"

"Never mind that, just sit up!" she ordered. With her help, Endymion sat up right. Her hands quickly ran through the back of his head, searching for any cuts or places that were bleeding. Her fingers trailed over a conspicuous bump, causing Endymion to flinch. Relieved that it was only a bump, Serenity let out a sigh. "Oh, thank God..."

"Right, I get punched by a girl and you're relieved that all I have is a bump on the back of my head?" he growled, aggravation clear in his tone. "Geeze, and I didn't even do anything!"

"Shut up, and help me look for something to put on this bump."

"There's a cooler next to me. Seems like Alani put it here with a bunch of drinks before she put us in here," he explained, pointing to the side.

Luckily, the cooler was close enough that she didn't have to get up. Opening it, she was happy to find ice which had not melted yet. Untying her apron, she pulled it off her body. Placing some ice in it, she then tied it at the top, to secure the ice. Positioning herself kneeling between his legs for better leverage, she pulled in his face close to her chest. Reaching around his head, she gently placed the bagged ice on his bump. Flinching again, Endymion gritted his teeth as the cold feeling rushed over his aching head. However, the sudden closeness and warmth he felt from Serenity made him forget somewhat the pain he was feeling. Her chest hovered dangerously close to his face, causing Endymion to gulp with nervousness.

"Does it hurt?" she quietly asked, unaware of what their current position was doing to the Prince.

"N-no..." he stuttered, eyes fixated on the flesh in front of him.

"Even though you deserved that punch, I didn't mean for you to hit your head like that," she admitted.

That brought Endymion out of his trance. "I deserved that punch?! Are you kidding me? How did I deserve that?" he demanded angrily.

"B-because! You.. you... you kept assuming things! It annoyed me, so I punched you!"

Laughing bitterly, Endymion shook his head. "That's not even reasonable."

"_You're_ not reasonable," she grumbled beneath her breath, pressing hard on his bump, causing him to jump in pain.

That was his last straw. Forcefully grabbing a hold of her wrists, she accidentally dropped the bag of ice behind him. Staring her straight in the eye, Endymion hoisted himself off the floor, pushing Serenity forcefully on her back. Caught off guard, Serenity squeaked when she landed hard on the floor, her own head almost experiencing what happened to Endymion. With her wrists pinned down next to her head, Endymion hovered dangerously above her. He stared down at her with such ferocity she had never seen before. Although she was absolutely frightened by her vulnerable state, some part of her was strangely turned on by all of this. "P-prince, what are you--"

"I'm going to ask you one last time, and you're going to answer me _truthfully,_" he demanded, hands tightening around her wrists. "Just remember, _you_ punched me, and ripped my lip open. Also, you made me hit my head on the wall, which could have ended even worse than it did."

"B-but--"

"No buts!" he interrupted. "Now, if you don't answer me properly, you sure as hell know what's going to happen next," he threatened, looming in closer to her body. Serenity knew exactly what he meant. He could _literally_ do anything to her in this room, especially now in this position. Although he had hit his head, she was still groggy from the chloroform. Plus, even if she screamed, no one would hear her, not to mention, care. Gulping, Serenity found herself nodding to his demands, however some part of her wanted to know what would happen if she disobeyed him.

"Alright..." she replied, inhaling sharply.

"Were you jealous of Alani and I, or not?" he asked, bringing his face dangerously close to hers. Serenity could only focus on how close his lips were to hers.

'Really! You're in the worst situation possible, and all you could think about is kissing him?!' She really was sick in the head.

"Oi, answer me!" he yelled.

"Fine, fine!" Biting down on the last of her pride, Serenity closed her eyes, not wanting to see his expression when the next few words left her mouth. "Y-yeah... I was..." she finally admitted, hands clenching into fists. She fully expected to hear the teasing commence, and so she mentally prepared herself for it. What she wasn't expecting, however, was his next question:

"Why?"


	8. Chapter 7

**Prisoner of His Heart**  
Written by: Odango Atama

Here is the long awaited chapter! I had a lot of trouble editing this for the M rating. I kept imagining that whatever is suitable for a movie would be suitable for here, but as I started removing parts out, I was cutting out crucial thoughts, and things needed for plot development. I think I might have given up somewhere near the end. I've seen way raunchier stories here on FFnet than this little chapter, so hopefully it'll be okay. I figured if you're reading M rating fanfics, you're old enough to know about certain "things." So yeah, if you're also reading the NC-17+ version, you'll notice that it's not that different. I edited out the really raunchy descriptions, but I had to leave in a good portion of it for the plot. (Yes, for the PLOT, as hard as that is to believe!) So yes, please enjoy this steamy chapter! If you haven't already, check out my new fic, I'd Rather Be in Love.

* * *

It was a simple question, really. A simple question that required a simple answer. 

So how come she couldn't think of a proper answer?

The question had caught Serenity off guard. Not that it would have mattered if she had a few moments to prepare for it; she wouldn't be able to give an answer either way. But it wasn't just _why _she so jealous of them that was confusing her. It was also _why _Endymion was practically forcing her to think about the matter so diligently. It was almost as if he already knew the answer and all he wanted was for her to say it...

Even if a hypothetical situation existed where the reason why she was jealous was because she liked him, there was no way Serenity would ever tell him that! It would give him too much power over her. He already thought he practically owned her, so why would she want to give him more leverage over her?'Besides, there's no way I could possibly like him. It's completely illogical and irrational!'

But ever since he stepped to her life, nothing seemed logical or rational anymore.

Take this situation for example. Two sworn enemies who claimed to dislike each other with their entire beings, were engaged in an embarrassing and provocative position. If someone had walked in on them right now, both of them would have definitely been in a _world_ of trouble.

She could feel Endymion's gaze burn into her skin even though she wasn't directly looking at him at the moment. Although she wanted to avoid those eyes of his completely, her body betrayed her as Serenity found herself glancing up at him beneath her lashes.

It never occurred to her until now how vast the colour of his eyes were. He drew her in like a whirlpool; she knew the danger that lay before her, but it was too late. She was swept in. He stared into her eyes with such intensity and passion, it almost made her heart stop. It reminded her so vividly of the dream she had when he first took her passionately in her bedroom.

But this was no dream, this was real. The eyes looking down at her now... the feelings he was communicating to her... they were all real. It was as if no one existed in his world, except her.

"Oi, Princess, I asked you a question!" he yelled. Shaking out of her trance, Serenity had completely forgotten the task at hand. She blamed it completely on his eyes. Those captivating, alluring, ocean blue eyes...

'Focus, Serenity!' she scolded. The best thing to do would be to avoid those eyes of his. Turning her head to the side again, she could again feel his burning gaze imprint into the side of her face again. But at least this time, the darkness comforted her.

All that was left was to answer him. But what would she say? She didn't even know... she didn't know anything when it came to the Prince. Knowing that would be all she could say, she pursed her lips, preparing herself to answer him. "I... I don't know..." she finally replied, uncertainty visible in her tone.

"Liar," he growled as his eyes narrowed at her.

"No, I really don't know why," she sighed.

"There you go again, avoiding the situation all together."

Serenity turned her head, looking up at him, appalled. "I'm _not_ avoiding anything!"

Exhaling, Endymion shook his head. "No. You know the answer, Serenity."

Equally frustrated as he was, Serenity scowled at him. "No, Prince! I honestly don't know the answer!" she shouted, exasperated. "If you think you know, then please just tell me! Because I really have no idea why I wasted those tears on you!" She could feel the water starting to build up behind her eyes and tried to hold them back, not wanting to cry in front of him, of all people. At least it was dark so that he wouldn't be able to see her brimming tears.

"Because you like me, Princess," he whispered just loud enough for her to hear. Wide eyed, Serenity looked up at him completely astounded at what he just said.

"You think I haven't thought about that? But that's not it!" she quickly answered. "That just can't be it...!"

Endymion frowned down at her. "Why not?"

"B-because! It doesn't make any sense at all!" she argued.

"It makes perfect sense, you idiot!"

She shook her head vigorously. "No, Prince... it doesn't make any sense at all. Yes, it fits the situation perfectly, but in reality... for me to love you... no, for me to harbor anything towards you that isn't utter hatred and spite... it's irrational, it's illogical, it makes no sense at all." She took a deep breath as her eyes wandered away from his, not wanting to witness his reaction. "Letting you kiss me, and even worse, letting you touch me? It's absurd! There's no logical reasoning behind that. I mean, it would be easy to say that it's because I like you, but that itself makes even less sense--"

Before she even got a chance to finish her sentence, he pushed himself off of her. The familiar cold air from his withdrawal bathed over her body, paralyzing her for a brief moment. Afterwards, she slowly sat upright, gently rubbing her aching wrists.

There was a moment of silence after that. She didn't know how long it lasted. Perhaps it was because Endymion was hoping that in that brief moment, she would finally give in and admit to him what he wanted to hear. Or maybe his ego was too hurt to reply. Either way, it eventually got to the point where the silence had been so uncomfortable, it was unbearable. She had been staring at the dark wall at her side for so long, that she thought she may have gone temporarily blind for a moment.

Luckily, Endymion was the first to give in. Against the wall with one leg propped up, he rested one arm on the top of his knee, as he stared off to the side. His side profile was bathed in the moonlight in almost a surreal like way. His facial expression softened, as he spoke to her. "Look, whatever reason you have or don't have for being jealous... you really don't need to be," he finally replied. "Alani really is, just a friend."

Something was awfully strange in either his choice of words, or his tone of voice. Normally whenever someone opposed his view, he would retaliate and argue his way until he was proven right, but now it seemed like... he understood and _respected _her feelings. Not only that, he was actually opening up to her! Maybe it was the moonlight's fault, but her vision of the cold hearted, stubborn lecherous Prince Endymion was slowly changing.

"She was my first friend, who eventually became my first love," he explained. "I was ten years old, and incredibly lonely, and so often I would try to escape from the castle. One day, I managed to successfully run away from home. There was no surrounding forest at the time; only a gate and a moat separated it from the outside town. Although it was easier to escape back then, I was only a child, and by the time I had gone into town, I was exhausted. I must have collapsed in the middle of the street, but all I remember before I fainted was seeing her.

"I woke up in her room. She was twelve at the time, yet she somehow managed to drag me all the way home and into bed. I remember I was really introverted and shy, and barely talked." Endymion mused, glancing briefly in Serenity's direction.

She scoffed in disbelief. "You?! Shy?! That's unbelievable!"

He chuckled. "Yeah, now that I think about it, I was a completely different person before. I stayed with her for about a month, but in that small period of time, she changed me completely. I don't know what it was about her. Maybe it was her charisma, her cheerfulness, her optimism, her confidence... things that I wanted for myself, I could feel through her. I could open up to the world around me. Sure, I was only ten at the time, but... I think on some level.. I was really happy with her."

Moving a tad bit closer, Serenity watched his facial expressions closely. His face softened whenever he thought about his past with Alani. Although it made her feel more jealous, she knew there was a reason why he was telling her this.

"Unfortunately, Alani came from a broken household. Her mother died when she was young, but her father... well, he took out his grief and frustration on Alani. I remember there were some days where she'd be covered in bruises. I'd ask her where she got it from, but she kept denying it for the longest time. I would hear them sometimes, but I never thought he'd be actually hitting her. But by the time she told me, the guards from the Palace had already found me to take me back."

His facial expression became gloomy, which concerned Serenity. "I knew I wouldn't be able to come back for the longest time. I wasn't able to bring her with me, and since I didn't have the throne, I couldn't do anything about her dad. But I wanted to save her so badly.

"It was selfish, but I told her to wait for me. Wait until I was seventeen, so that when I gain power, I could save her. It was the first time I had ever wanted to do something for someone else. So I worked hard in those years in between. I studied, I trained, I worked as hard as I could, and the day I turned of age, the first thing I did was find her. I remember everyone kept saying she wouldn't be there, that she would have moved on and that she had given up on me. And guess what happened?"

Serenity tilted her head inquisitively. "She waited for you?"

Endymion smiled. "Yeah, she did. She was still the same Alani I knew, but she had grown to become a beautiful woman. I remember catching my breath when I first saw her. Even with such an abusive father, she still managed to maintain her beauty. Maybe I fell in love with her before, but at that moment, I felt like I had fallen in love all over again.

"We snuck out at night when her father was sleeping, and I took her back to the palace. We were together for a week, all day, all night. I don't think I had ever been more happy than I was during that time with her. We were completely in love with each other. I thought I had saved her. I thought I was her Prince who rescued her from evil."

His smile suddenly faded. "But after that week, we found out her father had committed suicide. I remember feeling ecstatic that the bastard had died, but to Alani... even though he hurt her more times than she could count... he was still her father..." Serenity moved closer to him. Some part of her wanted to comfort him. Hold him in her arms as he relived these painful memories. Instead, she sat directly in front of him, and listened to his story.

"After we found out about his death, she couldn't look at me the same again. Every time I tried to kiss her, or just be near her... it was like she couldn't stand the sight of me. I suspected she partly blamed me for his death. Eventually, we talked about it, and we both realized nothing would ever be the same again. Because of her devotion to her father, she couldn't look at me as a lover. But because I was there for her, she could cherish me as a friend, and just having that alone was good enough for me.

"It's been two years since then, and we've become inseparable. She looks out for me, I look out for her... we're a team. We weren't able to gain back what we had that week, but I think we achieved something greater than that. She's not my girlfriend, but she's not my friend... she's in the hazy area in between. I can't imagine my life without her... but at the same time, I can't see her the same way I saw her two years ago."

Endymion glanced over at the Princess' direction. So absorbed in his story, she stared up at him so attentively, it was almost adorable. Lips forming into a smile, he playfully tapped her nose with his finger. "So now that you know, no more jealousy, okay?"

"Ow...!" she cried, hands flying to her nose. "I'm not jealous," she pouted.

"Liar," he smirked.

"I'm not lying!" Sighing, Serenity looked down bashfully. "But... thank you for telling me that story... I'm sorry to hear all that happened, but..."

"...you're happy that I told you that, aren't you?" he grinned, moving in towards Serenity.

Serenity's face immediately flared, as she scrambled to look away from him. "N-no! Of course not! I was going to say, 'But.. I don't care!'"

"When are you going to admit to yourself that you like me, Serenity?" he asked, as he placed placed his hand under her chin, forcing her to look up at him. Wrapping his other arm around her neck, he pulled her closer to him. Serenity watched in horror as his lips were mere millimeters away from hers.

"I already told you! I don't like you!" Yet all she could do was fixate on his lips. 'God, I really am horrible!'

"Because it's illogical and unreasonable?" he mockingly repeated, leaning in closer.

"Y-yeah..."

"Serenity... _nothing_ about us is logical or reasonable. And that's what I like about it."

Her eyebrows shot up to her hairline. "L-like? What? What do you--"

Her sentence was cut short by the silencing of her lips with his. Her internal alarms were all firing at once the moment he pressed her lips on hers, but yet again, slowly and surely, he managed to break down her defenses one by one. Pulling her in closer to him, Serenity shut her eyes tight. Although she was being smothered by him in every way, at that point, she didn't have a care in the world.

* * *

"Alani, have you seen Master Endymion?" asked Kunzite. 

Resting comfortably on a somewhat large crate box in front of a door, Alani shook her head. "Nope, haven't seen him anywhere!"

"Really? I know today is the day Beryl comes, but he wasn't in his usual room."

Shrugging her shoulders, Alani offered a consoling smile. "Sorry, Kunzite. If I see him, I'll let you know."

"Hey, Alani..?"

"Yes Kunzite?"

"...why are you sitting on that crate?"

Alani shrugged. "It's comfortable?"

As the white haired general disappeared into the distance, Alani let out a sigh of relief. Glancing behind her was the only door to the old wing. The large crate served it's purpose by blocking anyone from escaping or entering the wing. Meaning, no one could disturb the Prince and Princess while they were 'making up', nor could they escape and run away from each other.

'A bloody genius is what I am!' Looking up briefly, she glanced out the window next to her. 'Hmm, the clouds don't look too friendly. I wonder if it will rain?' Shrugging it off, she returned to her book in front of her.

* * *

While Endymion's lips were working wonders on hers, Serenity had given herself completely to his embrace. Hands resting gently against his chest, she leaned into his body and his kiss, savouring the feel and taste of it all. As much as she wanted to hate this man, his kisses were her weak points. Even if they were absorbed in a heated argument, one kiss from him, and she was putty in his arms. If he knew the power he had over her... actually, perhaps he did know. But even if she wanted to concern herself over it, at the moment, all rational thinking on her part had been rendered futile. 

Although he still managed to turn her entire body into a puddle of goop, the kiss he was giving her now was different from the other ones he had given her. It still contained that fire and desire that consumed her body and soul, but this time it felt different. It wasn't like before where he was kissing her so that they could move on quickly to "other things". Before, it was all about relieving all that stress and frustration built up inside upon their meeting. Now, he was taking his time, he was being gentle... he was... it was like he was pouring his heart and feelings into this one, wonderful kiss.

His lips brushed against hers with such gentleness that she never thought a man like him would be capable of. With his tongue trailing gently over her bottom lip, Serenity knew where it wanted to go, but again... he was taking his time. But as nice as that was at first, Serenity felt the all too familiar lust and aching for him creeping it's way up.

She tilted her head slightly to deepen the kiss, this time running her tongue across the bottom of his lip. A familiar pang of metal brushed over her taste buds, allowing her to recall earlier that night when she had punched the Prince in the mouth. With her feelings of guilt poured into her tongue, she gently lapped the side of his lip where her fist had come into contact with earlier, stroking the wound carefully.

Endymion opened his eyes for a slight moment to understand what was going on. Was she licking his cut? Is that her way of saying sorry? And why was he getting so incredibly aroused by this? Each time her tongue touched his open wound, it would hurt only for a second, but after that he would be able to fully register and feel the caress of her on his lip, and all of a sudden everything felt so right. Why did kissing the Princess feel so good, both inside and out? While she made his body feel like it was on fire, at the same time, he felt safe with her in his arms. He was right: nothing about them was logical. Kissing your worst enemy like this should _never_ feel so damn good.

He couldn't take anymore of her tongue on his lip. Not without bringing the kiss further, at least. He changed the position of his legs so that they were on either side of Serenity, bent at the knee. He moved his hands to her shoulders, tugging her to move in between his legs. Obliging to his whims completely, Serenity followed his orders by moving forward on her knees into his embrace. With her palms on his chest, body pressed against his and between his legs, Endymion wrapped his arms around her waist. Tilting his head a bit, it allowed his tongue to enter her mouth more freely. He pushed past her lips and entered her mouth. Moaning, Serenity grasped on tightly to his shirt. From what she recalled before, if their kiss reached this point, from here on out the only way to go was up, or in his case, down.

Her entire body shook with excitement, as it recalled the last times he had touched her. Although technically the last time they got down and dirty with each other was in the library, in reality, he took her in his embrace every night in her dreams and ravished her lustfully. Whether it was in her bed, in his bed, on the floor, in the closet, or even outside, every night that she could remember, he had her way with her. And every time he did, she would let him. Was it wrong to dream about your worst enemy in such a matter so? Of course it was! But that was the thing--everything about it felt so right. Everything about _this_ felt so right.

Their tongues mingled and danced with each other, taking turns entering each other's mouth. When her tongue entered his, Endymion moaned with delight. As their mouths latched onto each other so eagerly, he was losing himself entirely to her and her kisses. He was straining like hell against his pants at this point. Since when had a kiss turned him on so greatly? 'Since you started kissing Serenity, that's when.' It was true. Only Serenity brought out this much fire and rapture in him. He wanted so badly to take her right there. If only she would allow him the pleasure of being her first. He could feel the thirst and need for some sort of release of all this pent up sexual feelings towards this one, tiny woman. The thought of her hands on him, touching him with such delicacy...

While Endymion was lost in one thought, Serenity was lost in another. Her libido and breasts ached incredibly to be touched by him again. No man has ever made her want it so badly before! Come to think of it, he had only made her come in her dreams, never before in real life. What would it be like, she wondered. Would it be anything like she imagined it would be? Or would it be even better? But why wasn't he touching her right now? Usually he'd have her hand under her skirt in seconds. Why was he hesitating now? Did he not want to touch her anymore?

'Maybe he's not turned on yet...? Maybe I have to kiss him harder?' Shifting forward on her knees, she moved her body closer to his, pressing her entire front against his. In the process of doing so, her knee had shimmied so innocently over a certain area of Endymion's, causing him to jerk forward slightly.

Clenching his eyes, Endymion growled frustratingly into her mouth. 'After that, you _have_ to touch me, Princess!'

'Why isn't he touching me yet?' she wondered, oblivious to what had just happened. 'Does he really not want to touch me? Besides, it's not like I could _ask_ him! He'll get so arrogant and cocky about it afterwards!'

'It's not like I could _ask_ her! She'd probably get all defensive and walk away.'

'I guess I'd better make the first move?'

'I guess I don't mind making the first move.'

When Serenity's hand cupped against his crotch, at the exact moment, Endymion's hands were up her skirt, with his fingers pressed against her.

Immediately after, both pulled their lips away and gasped from the sudden shock and pleasure at the same time. Neither were expecting what had just happened to happen! They simply stared at each other wide eyed in utter disbelief at what had just occurred for a few seconds, before they both pulled away all together. Turning around on her knees, Serenity skited away from him with her back turned to him, unable to fully look him in the face. Cheeks flaring, breaths rapid and short, lips still swollen, and especially after what she just did, Serenity knew she wouldn't be able to face him for the rest of her life! 'He's going to make fun of me so much now!'

Endymion, who had his face buried in his hands, groaned. Not only was she going to yell at him, but she would somehow find a way to blame what she did on him as well! Not to mention now that she touched him like that, the pressure in his pants was becoming so unbearable! The two remained in silence, neither wanting to be the first to speak in this untimely awkward situation.

Fumbling with her hands at her skirt, Serenity kept her eyes and head down, even though her back was to him. 'God, I can't believe how stupid I was! But why isn't he teasing me right now?' She wasn't _upset_ that he wasn't making fun of her. It just seemed rather odd that he hadn't taken this perfect moment to utterly humiliate her. As discreetly as she could, she peered over her shoulder and glanced back at him.

Endymion hung his head low, with one hand at the back of his neck. He tried shifting in his seat to try and relieve the tension in his pants, but it was too uncomfortable no matter what he did. 'Why didn't I just wait out a bit longer? Idiot! But why isn't she yelling at me right now?' He took a quick look up to see what the problem was, and caught her staring back at him. Seeing that she was discovered, Serenity gasped and turned away as fast as she could. Frowning, Endymion raised his head. 'Why was she looking back at me like that?' This was too odd. She wasn't yelling, she wasn't hitting him, she wasn't scolding... she was just sitting there. 'Could it be that... she _wanted_ me to do that to her?'

'Did he want me to touch him like that? Is that why he's not making fun of me?' Serenity wondered, biting down on her bottom lip.

Frustrated, Endymion let out a groan. Something had to be done about his painful erection. Hands fumbling down to his pants, he began to unbuckle them. Alarmed by the sudden noise, Serenity's eyes widened. 'What is he doing?!' Glancing over her shoulder, she gasped. "H-hey!" she yelled. "What in the world are you doing?!"

Relieved that she was the first to speak up, Endymion rested his head against the wall behind him. "What does it look like, idiot?"

"B-b-but _why_ are you doing that?!" she forced out, trying her best not to stutter as much.

"Because it's too uncomfortable," he muttered, as he continued to undo his belt.

"B-but don't do that when I'm here! It's disgusting!" Serenity tried desperately to look away, but all she could do was stare at his hands in utter horror.

"Well, who's fault is that?!" he complained, hands at his button. "I'm not going to _do_ anything, I'm just going to let it free."

"O-oi!" she screamed, turning around completely. Still avoiding his gaze especially after what he just said, Serenity kept her eyes on the ground. "You can't do that here! It's wrong!"

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Endymion rubbed his hand against his face. "Well _Princess_, what do you expect me to do, then?!" That question seemed to have more than one motive. Unsure of how to respond, Serenity remained silent. Annoyed by her lack of response, his hand returned back to his pant button. "Well, sorry Princess, you're just going to have to look away." Hearing the sound of his buckle again, Serenity stared up at him in horror. There was no way she would let him do that when she was here! Immediately, she closed the distance between them again and threw her hands onto his to stop him from finishing the job.

Unfortunately, although she was fast, she wasn't as precise. While one hand managed to grab his, the other one missed. Endymion groaned, while Serenity shrieked. "Idiot..." he breathed, eyes clenched. "You're just making it worse..."

"I didn't mean to!" Retracting her hand back, Serenity spun around again. This was getting worse! Why, _WHY_ did this keep happening?! She needed to find a way out of here, now! Even if it wasn't physically possible, the room seemed to be getting smaller and smaller by the minute.

"Can I take it out _now_?!" he demanded, annoyed and baffled at how this one tiny little woman made his world so complicated.

"N-no! Absolutely no!"

"Then do something to distract me!"

Serenity scoffed. "I'm not a toy!"

Disregarding her statement completely, Endymion had enough. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her into his embrace. With her back pressed along his front, Serenity screamed at the sudden intimate gesture. Not only could she feel his body through her clothing, she could also feel his _pain_, poking at her from behind. She tried to move away, but his arms were like chains around her waist. He wasn't letting her go anywhere.

Bringing his lips near her ears, Serenity froze completely when he did so. "Well, Princess?" Whispering so seductively, his hot breath brought shivers down her spine. "Are you going to finish what you started earlier?" he wondered, as his lips nibbled gently on her ear.

Shutting her eyes, Serenity basked in the sensations of his lips on her sensitive skin, and the warmth from his body. She found herself so intoxicated, so mesmerized, and so caught up in him, she couldn't control what she had said next.

"Are you?"

Endymion paused, a bit taken back by her question. Did... did he hear her correctly? Was she _asking_ for him? All of this seemed too perfect to be real. "I will if you will, Princess," he replied quietly into her ear.

Serenity angled her head to face him. If there was going to be a time to pull away, now would be it. But for some reason, she didn't want to walk away. She actually.. she... she wanted it. Serenity looked up at him briefly, before replying. "Alright..," she spoke, before closing her eyes again. Taking that as a sign, Endymion brought his hand to her cheek, and swooped in for a kiss.

She didn't know what had come over her at that moment. She blamed it solely on him. It was his fault he was so warm, so seductive, and felt so bloody wonderful. Perhaps he was right, after all. Nothing about either of them made any sense.

Lips devouring hers so hungrily, Endymion entered her mouth again, evoking a moan on Serenity's part. Her response only fueled him more. This time, he wasn't going to wait and risk her pulling away again. The hand left her chin and worked it's way down her body. As it brushed over her breasts, Serenity whimpered against his lips, which only drove Endymion even more insane.

As he trailed down her stomach, Serenity found herself involuntarily opening her legs for him. Smiling against her, Endymion couldn't help but be amazed at how she had changed so much over the past few weeks. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. Taking his invitation seriously, Endymion wasted no time. His hand up her skirt, it hooked onto the side of her panties.

Knowing it would be difficult to remove them one handed, Serenity's hands pushed his aside. Hooking her fingers on the sides of her underwear, she pulled it down her legs with ease, while still managing to participate in the heated kiss. Once her legs were freed, she tossed the panties to the side.

Seeing that made Endymion's mouth dry. In utter, _utter_ disbelief at how badly she wanted this, it only made him more desirable for her. The fact that she was more willing and aching for him... it only meant she was slowly, yet surely opening herself up to him entirely. "Serenity..." he mumbled against her kiss. "You're... amazing.."

"Shut up and touch me," she mumbled back, and continued to feverishly kiss him. Chuckling, Endymion did as he was told.

Ripping away her lips from his, Serenity inhaled sharply. Oh, she had completely forgotten how wonderful he felt inside of her! Resting her head against his chest, Serenity clenched her eyes as his fingers moved inside of her. She was breathing uncontrollably and her heart was beating faster than she ever thought it could. All because of one single touch. Licking her lips, Serenity moaned eagerly, losing herself completely in the throws of passion. Not doing this with him earlier... not doing this with him every day... now _that_ was illogical. This was nothing like her dream! This was all so real, so amazingly, wonderfully, graciously real...

She was writhing and bucking against him, moaning his name over and over. She was so consumed in the heat of desire, there was no turning back. He was going to make her come, and scream his name so hard, everyone in the castle would hear.

But he wished he was able to feel how she was feeling. Although touching her brought insane pleasure to him, it was different from being touched as well. 'I know she said she'd do it to me too.. but I think she must have forgotten.' It was fine. For some reason, he didn't mind doing this to her without anything in return. With women, it was usually all about him. But with Serenity... it was okay. But that didn't mean it wasn't utterly, utterly, painful.

As if she had tapped into his thoughts, Endymion inhaled sharply when he felt Serenity's hand reach behind her and touched him again. "S-serenity," he gasped.

"I... I didn't forget..." she whispered, eyes looking shyly away from him.

"Bloody minx," he muttered, kissing the top of her head. He removed the hand on her and began to undo his pants one handedly. Thankful he had undone the belt earlier, all that was left was the button, and the zipper. Once his zipper was down, he wasted no time. He carefully pulled his boxers down, just enough so he could pull it out. Grabbing her hand, he lead her to the place he wanted her to touch the most. 'Would she do it? Or would she pull away at the last minute?'

Serenity closed her eyes, and went in. The moment her hand grabbed a hold of him, Endymion felt as if his body had imploded. Her hands, small, yet cool to the touch, brought utter delight and satisfaction. He couldn't help but moan whole heartedly, burying his face in her hair. She immediately brought him out, as the cool air rushed over him, releasing all the pent up frustration and pain he felt from being constrained so frightfully so. "Serenity..."

Although she had not _seen_ it, _feeling_ was enough to overwhelm her senses. How did he manage to fit all that in his pants? No wonder he was so aggravated. But what was she supposed to do with it? Just hold it like she was doing? She wished there was a manual, or something to help her out. 'I guess I'll just... do what seems right...'

Serenity could hear Endymion's breaths become short, and his heart beat rapidly against his chest. And his moaning... oh, his moaning made her feel so naughty...! Hell, this whole situation made her feel naughty! Perhaps it was a good thing she didn't see what she was doing to him.

Endymion bit down on his lip, savouring the feel of her hands on him. 'Her hands, her sweet little hands...' To show his satisfaction, he placed his hand on her sensitive bundle of nerves, and began to rub vigorously. The sudden pleasure caused Serenity to squeal against his touch.

"Oh oh...!" she cried, lifting her hips slightly off the ground. "Endymion!" She must have been doing something right to emit this response from him!

"Shit..." he swore, as she increased her pace. She was definitely trying to kill him! Maybe that's why she agreed to this in the first place. She wanted to kill him by slow, unbearable torture.

And he didn't mind at all.

At this point, she was panting. Her hips were launching themselves off the floor, as her core received the assault by his hands. She could feel that all too recognizable feeling of desire building up in her center. If it was like it was before, that meant she was close to climax. She had to bring the Prince with her. Drive him just as crazy as he was doing to her!

So she stroked faster, and harder. Endymion hissed painfully at this intricate movement, trying his best to hold in his release as much as possible. There was no way he was going to come before her! He had to send her off the edge first!

And so, it became a game of who could stroke harder. In the meanwhile, the two were panting, gasping for air. But at that moment, air wasn't the most important thing to them. The only thing that mattered to the two, was each other.

Serenity could feel herself closer and closer to release, but she tried her best to bring Endymion as far as she could. But whenever she tried to go faster, Endymion would respond in the same manner. The more she tried to make him come, the more he tried to make her. She no longer needed to plead to him to go faster. All she needed to do was increase her pace. It was a lost battle, but it felt too damn good to give up! "Endymion!" she cried, teetering at the edge of climax.

Bringing his lips down to his favourite part of her neck, he sucked hard on her skin. He was going crazy from pleasure! He wanted to come so badly, but he had to wait for her. "Serenity... damnit, Serenity...!"

She was so close, all it took were a few more seconds. "Endymion... Endymion... Endymi--unnnnhhhh!!" Eyes rolling to the back of her head, she gasped as her entire body exploded with extreme pleasure, from the top of her head to her tip of her toes. Clenching her eyes shut, her mouth hung wide open as she moaned his name while clutching onto his shirt with her free hand. Arching her chest, curling her toes, legs clamping around her hand, Serenity shuddered as she rode out her first, real orgasm.

As her body trembled in his arms, Endymion could help but be enthralled by what he saw. Here was the Princess of the Moon, having her first orgasm right there in his arms, because of him. All the fighting, all the screaming, and the pain was all worth it in that one moment of sheer ecstasy. He wished she had a camera to record her face in her moment of climax, just so he would never forget. Kissing her neck softly, he could feel her body slowly return to normal, as the orgasm rode itself out.

Drained and completely satisfied, Serenity leaned back into his arms. Smiling, she looked up at him hazily. "That was..." she gasped, trying to regain her breath. "I... I can't even think of the right word..."

Smirking, he kissed her cheek. "It's okay. It was good though, right?"

"...mind blowing," she corrected. The glazed look in her eyes brought joy to Endymion's ego. _He_ was the reason she was like that. _He_ was the reason her first orgasm was mind blowing. It was all because of _him_. "That was better than I could have possibly imagined..."

He grinned. "You imagined it before?"

Unaware until that moment of her slip up, Serenity gulped. "N-no! Of course not! I... I was just saying--" as she started to turn around, her movement made her realize just exactly where her hand was.

They both stiffened. He had completely forgotten about her hand on him, and he was sure she did too. There was an awkward silence, as questions raced through their heads. Will she continue? Should she continue? What if she didn't do anything? What if she walked away, right now?

His hands grasped her shoulders. "You... you don't have to..." he found himself saying, although a large part of him wanted her to ignore what he said.

Serenity paused, biting down on her lip. She could just walk away right now, and he wouldn't mind. Well, he would _mind_, but not in an angry way. But he gave her such unimaginable pleasure, it was only right to do it back... right? But if she did... that meant she wouldn't be able to blame this on him. She would have to finally own up for her actions, and that this was a two way deal. If it was anyone's fault, it was the both of theirs. Together.

Turning around to face him, she still kept her hand firmly where it was. Eyes venturing into his, she searched for any sort of hint as to what she should do. Endymion simply wished she would do whatever she was going to do soon. Having her touch him like that without doing anything was becoming unfathomable!

Her eyes betrayed her by looking down. Eyes growing wide, Serenity immediately looked away, embarrassed by what she saw. 'Oh my... I can't believe I was actually... I...'

Endymion couldn't help but laugh at her reaction. Her innocence and naivety were so adorable! Even though after today she would no longer be that inexperienced, innocent little girl that came stumbling into his life, she still managed to somehow maintain that child-like purity. Although he had not fully _taken_ her, some part of him wanted to believe he had taken some part of her virginity.

She took a deep breath. It was now or never. She was going to do it! Screw consequences and morality. At the moment, she was just as idiotic and brain dead as he was. In one, long and drawn out motion, she continued her earlier movements, slowly picking up the pace she had earlier.

Thankful that she decided to stay, Endymion let out a sigh of relief. Hands at her shoulders, he put complete control in her hands, _literally_. He rested his head against the wall, and closed his eyes as she proceeded to rub him.

Serenity's eyes wandered back down to her hands, still in disbelief that she was actually doing this to him! Prince Endymion, her sworn enemy, doing things to him that she never thought she would ever be doing to anyone for a long time! But he just brought out the adult in her. He brought out all these feelings, these urges, these cravings, all which needed to be satisfied. He... he brought out the woman in her. Whether or not that was a good thing, she really didn't know.

All she knew right now was he was under her complete control, which only excited Serenity even more. Was this why he always wanted to touch her? To have that complete control over someone? Just one single stroke of her hand caused him to tremble beneath her grasp! For the first time meeting him... he was succumbing to _her _whims. She increased her pace, driving Endymion even crazier.

"Serenity..." he moaned whole heartedly, running his hands through her hair. "Sweet, sweet Serenity..." Smiling, she never noticed until now how she loved hearing her name like that. Was that why he always asked her call him by his name? This experience made her understand him a bit more now. "Serenity... Serenity, I'm... I'm close..." he informed, hips thrusting to her touch.

This was it! She was actually going to make him... make him... 'God, I can't even say it!' Just a few more strokes, and he would be hers, entirely.

That's when she heard it. It was a bit faint, but never the less, she heard it. A small rumble in the background. Alarmed, she sat up straight, head darting to the door beside them. "What was that?" she asked, hands immediately stopping.

Unsatisfied, Endymion groaned. "Nothing, I didn't hear anything!"

"But... I thought I heard--" There it was again, another rumble. This time, it was louder. It sounded as if it was coming from _outside_ the castle. But what was it? And why was it frightening her so?

"Really, it was nothing, just continue!" he pleaded, aggravation clear in his tone. He was so close, and she pulled away so quickly!

Just when she was about to listen to him, a bright white light flashed, lighting up the room briefly for a moment. Never seeing this before, Serenity shrieked as loud as she could, and unwillingly threw herself into his arms. "What was that?!"

Surprised by this sudden movement, Endymion looked down at her, confused. "It was just lightning, Serenity."

"L-lightning? What's that--!!" It flashed again, the loud sound roaring through the tiny room. Absolutely frightened, she clung onto his shirt desperately, and buried her face in his chest. "Make it stop!" she pleaded.

"I can't make lightning stop, idiot. You've never seen lightning before?" he asked.

"Of course not! I'm from the Moon, you idiot!" The lightning flashed again, causing her scream. "Please, just stop it!"

He couldn't believe it. Lightning was the reason why she stopped?! "Serenity, it's outside, it can't hurt you, okay? Now just please, continu--" he stopped mid-sentence when he noticed her trembling uncontrollably in his arms. "Serenity... you're really scared, aren't you?"

She nodded, whimpering. Sighing, Endymion knew it was a lost cause. Although it pained him to tuck himself back in, he knew it would be wrong to ask her to continue, especially in this state. Besides, it was only good if she was really into it. If she was frightened and scared like this, well... it just didn't feel good for either of them.

Wrapping his arms around her body, he kept one hand on her head, and one hand on back, stroking her gently in an attempt to sooth her nerves. Resting her head in the crook of his neck, he hushed her, hoping to calm her down.

She was amazed at how nice and safe it felt to be held by him like this. Who would have though she would have found solace in her enemies arms? And he took her in so nicely. Even though earlier she had pulled away at such a crucial moment, he still welcomed her with open arms. By this one gesture among other things, her entire vision of him was changing.

She found comfort in his touch, as his hand lovingly ran up and down her back. Smiling, she inhaled his rosy scent, and found herself growing sleepier by the minute. Whether it was because the lightning had stopped, or she had become so enthralled by his embrace she couldn't hear anything but his heartbeat, she no longer felt scared or threatened.

She felt... loved.

"Thank you... Endymion," she whispered, before closing her eyes.

Smiling at the sound of his name, Endymion kissed the top of her head. "You're welcome, Serenity..." Although his libido was still aching to be touched, the moment she fell asleep in his arms, he had completely forgotten about it. The fact that she allowed herself to be held like this, and that she let herself fall asleep in his arms like this... it had to mean something, right? She didn't hate him completely, right?

Frowning, he wondered why her feelings mattered so much to him. All this time he had been teasing her that she had fallen for him, but could it be in actuality, he had fallen for her? Whatever it was, this tiny girl who forced her way into his castle, his planet and his home, had also somehow managed to force her way into his heart.

Closing his eyes, he rested his head on top of hers, hoping to get that needed sleep.


	9. Chapter 8

**Prisoner of His Heart  
**Written by: Odango Atama

This chapter isn't that much different from the other one, just a few scenes were "edited". Sorry it took so long, had lots of exams these past few weeks! But here is chapter eight! I'll try to get working on I'd Rather Be in Love soon, soon.

* * *

It felt strange to wake up alone the next morning. Perhaps it was because the last memory Princess Serenity had before falling asleep was being in the Prince's arms; his snug, safe, and intoxicating arms, keeping her safe from the scary lightning. That morning, however, she found herself in her bedroom, wrapped up in the warm blankets, basked in the morning glow... 

...alone.

'Was it all just a dream?' she wondered, while staring up at the bare ceiling above her. 'Did last night not happen?' Could it be that she simply just dreamed it all? 'No, it _must_ have happened. I remember it all so vividly... there's no way it could be a dream.' Even if her mind did betray her by creating a false memory in her head, her body would not allow itself to forget. Although it was faint, she could still feel the Prince's hands on her, touching and caressing her in the utmost sensual, and thrilling way. The heat of his body, the warmth of his arms... no, she _couldn't _have dreamed that.

Last night had changed everything. Although he was still the rash, lecherous, narcissistic, arrogant Earth Prince, she couldn't help but see him in a whole new light. The delicate way he held her in his embrace, the way he opened himself up to her, and the way he soothed her by holding her close and hushing away her fears, changed her perception of him. As much as she so desperately wanted to, Serenity could no longer bring herself to hate him.

However, she could not necessarily jump to the conclusion that it was because she harbored feelings for him just yet. Even though he opened up to her as a _man_ last night, she could not forget that he was still a _Prince _at heart. The Prince of her warring nation, to be exact. The Prince who brought the unnecessary deaths to many of her people. The Prince who was holding _her_ as ransom simply to get to her own mother. 'It's unfathomable that I would like him, and yet, why does my heart beat so fast every time I think of him?'

The sound of the door hinges squeaking echoed in the background, pulling Serenity out of her train of thought. Whether it was out of fear or embarrassment, she scrambled herself beneath the covers as quickly as she could. She wasn't ready to face the Prince just yet, especially when she was emotionally unstable like this.

As the footsteps slowly approached her bed, Serenity could instantly tell it wasn't the Prince. These ones were light, small steps, which contrasted the Prince's big, loud, striding ones. Peering over the covers, Serenity's eyes locked with with the one person that she was happy to see at the moment. "Alani!" Serenity let out a sigh of relief as she pulled the covers down fully. "What are you doing here?"

With her head down, Alani held a closed fist to her chest. "I'm sorry Princess Serenity for waking you and I know you're probably mad and don't want to see me, but I felt I needed to talk to you."

Serenity stared at the woman in front of her. To be honest, she didn't feel any malice towards Alani. Although maybe at the time of her pounding headache she did, but what Alani did to her was hardly a thought in her mind. Smiling softly, she patted a spot on the bed next to her legs, gesturing her to sit. Alani's face brightened, as she was relieved to see Serenity smile at her. She took her invitation and sat down next to her.

"I'm not mad at you, Alani. I know you did what you did because you care about the Prince," Serenity explained.

"Thank you, Princess for understanding, but I still feel like I need to explain my actions these past few days. I just... I just wanted you two to get along, but I knew you were both too stubborn to give in."

"Really, Alani, it's fine. It was all in good intentions!"

"Even if I deliberately kissed him in front of you?" Alani said as fast as she could.

"W-what!?" Serenity screeched, not expecting to hear what she just heard. "You knew I was there!?"

Alani nodded guiltily. "I unlocked your door, knowing very well that Endymion would forget you needed him to go to your room. So when you came back to get him, well, you know what happened. But, I did it only so you would realize your feelings for him, that's all!"

Serenity sat back, taking a moment to let her words fully sink in. Although she was slightly angered that she cried so much over a petty trick, it was still relieving to hear that Alani didn't still love the Prince like she had suspected her to. "Oh... is that why, in the throne room you and him--"

"Yes, Princess, and please believe me when I say this. Endymion and I had a past together, but that's all it is; it's in the past! And, I really didn't want to have to drug you two, but I knew if I didn't intervene, you two wouldn't have made up last night. You two _did_ make up, didn't you?" Alani inquired, hoping her effort didn't go down in vain.

Blushing, Serenity recalled her "make up session" with the Prince last night. "I... I guess, yeah.. we did..." Shaking her head, she immediately returned to the matter at hand. "Why do you want us to get along so badly? Don't you see how often we argue?"

A smile formed on Alani's lips. "Because, I care about Endymion," she replied. "Although he never shows it, he really is just a lonely guy. His parents were killed when he was young, and even though he had millions of people around him growing up, he could never open himself up to any of them. I was probably his only friend, now that I think about it."

It was hard to believe that a guy like the Prince could ever feel lonely. He always seemed so happy whenever she saw him. 'Well, maybe _happy_ isn't the right word... more like overly confident.' "But he's so arrogant! And he gets along with everyone! How can he be lonely?" Serenity wondered.

Alani shook her head in response. "It's all just a mask. I mean, the people of the Earth can't have a ruler who is an introvert, right? Although I managed to open him up a little bit, when I pulled away from him, I think that just ended up damaging him even more," she spoke with remorse.

"It's not your fault, Alani," Serenity comforted. "You couldn't help but love your father, even after what he did--"

Her smile faded when Alani looked up at her, taken aback by what she just said. "How did you know about that?" she asked.

Serenity gulped, wondering if maybe she said something wrong. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't know about your past, right? The Prince told me last night, but, I won't bring it up aga--"

"See, that's why I want you two to get along." she cut in, smile returning. "You're changing him, Princess. Ever since it happened, he never _once _spoke about that incident to anyone, even me. And yet, he told you the entire story, didn't he?"

Stunned by her words, Serenity remained silent as her brain cranked it's wheels, trying to fully comprehend what Alani was trying to say. "He's different around you, Princess. He smiles and laughs, even though he teases you a lot. Everything he does, everything he says... it's... it's authentic. I've never seen that before, even when we were together. It's not some mask he puts on to hide his real self. When Endymion is with you, he _is_ his real self."

Serenity couldn't believe what she was hearing. The Prince was even worse than he is now? More importantly, she was changing him? "But... how is that possible? He hates me!"

"You and I both know, he _doesn't_ hate you. And you don't hate him either, right?"

Hanging her head in defeat, Serenity shook her head. "No, I don't. Not anymore, at least..."

There was brief interlude of silence, before Alani intervened to lighten the mood. "And, he's stopped womanizing, thank God! That alone, is a pretty big accomplishment!" she teased.

Serenity pouted. "That's because he's directing it all to me!"

"Yeah. Doesn't that mean something, Princess?" she asked with complete seriousness. Unable to form a proper response, Serenity looked down at her lap. What did she mean by that? Suddenly, the bed shifted weight as Alani stood up. "Well, I better get going."

"Oh, I should get up too, shouldn't I?" Just as Serenity was about to stand up, Alani held her arm out in front of her.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. You've been relieved of your duties, by orders of the Prince."

Serenity's head shot up as she gaped at Alani in disbelief. "Eh?! When was this?"

"Last night, after I found you two. He brought you here, and told me that you didn't need to be his assistant anymore," she explained. "Take it as a good thing, Princess. Spend some time here and think about what I said, okay?" Offering her a sympathetic smile, Alani then turned around and exited the room.

Pulling her knees up to her chest, Serenity sighed. There was so much to think about, and yet all she wanted to do was sleep. Shifting down the bed, she pulled the covers over her head and closed her eyes.

* * *

She didn't know what it was about that day, but waking up felt stranger and stranger each time it happened. This morning it was odd because she had woken up alone, but this time... 

...it felt as if she was being watched...

Serenity slowly opened her eyes, astounded by what she saw. It wasn't the fact that the room was no longer filled with sunshine, meaning she must have slept until night time, but it was the two, round blue eyes staring back at her.

"Finally," the voice spoke. "I thought you'd _never_ wake up."

"Ehh..?" Serenity meekly asked, still recovering from just waking up. Although the voice and eyes were so familiar, her brain could not fully register at that point who this person was in front of her. Once the wheels in her head started to turn, her eyes widened. "P-prince!" she gasped, finally realizing her predicament.

Somehow during her sleep, she had rolled on her side, but that wasn't what shocked her. It was the fact that the Prince was laying next to her on his side, with an elbow propped up and his head resting on his hand, staring straight at her with that all too recognizable arrogant smirk on his lips. "What... what are you doing here?" she demanded as she sprung upright.

"Relax, relax," Endymion replied, while grinning. "I just got here. Just wanted to give you a little scare when you woke up."

Serenity clutched at her erratically beating heart. Clearly, the Prince was unaware of just how frightening it was to have him in her bed, especially after all those dreams she had of him doing so. "Well, next time... don't do it!" she yelled angrily. "Your face isn't the first thing I want to see when I wake up!"

Turning on his back, Endymion rested his arms behind his head. "So we're back to that again, eh?"

"Huh? Back to what?"

"The name calling, the insulting... you know, our 'I hate you, you hate me' dance we always do? I thought maybe after last night, things would have changed between us..." he spoke softly while looking up at Serenity. She managed to keep her eyes away from him, but she couldn't stop the warmth of her cheeks from appearing, especially after his reminder of that night together.

"Things... have changed..." Serenity found herself saying, while fumbling with her skirt.

"Mmm? How so?"

Embarrassed, Serenity shut her eyes. "I... I don't know, but they just have!"

He chuckled at her reaction. "I'm glad you think so, Princess." Sitting up, he reached out to grab Serenity's wrist. "Let's get something to eat, I'm starving."

Staring blankly at his hand around her wrist, Serenity felt her whole body tense. "What? What time is it?"

"It's nearly midnight, Princess. You've been sleeping for literally, the whole day."

"Ehhh?! What?!" But before she could say anything else, Endymion hopped off the bed, and proceeded to drag Serenity by the hand out of the room. Her first reaction was to pull away from him, yet she didn't. For the first time, she followed him willingly. She was right: Things have changed between them.

* * *

"Lasagna?" 

"No, it might upset my stomach."

"Sandwich?"

"No, not in the mood for one of those."

"Meat buns?"

"Ooh!" Serenity squealed. "Yes, please!"

Endymion smiled as he tossed one back to her. Pulling out the plate entirely from the fridge, he held it in his hands while closing the fridge door with his other. It was late, and although they did have the option of waking up his chefs, Endymion thought it would be best to just find some left over snack for the time being.

While nibbling on her meat bun, Serenity was lead in silence to the another room. The walls were filled with paintings, and the room was littered with elegant couches, and an instant running fireplace. Serenity was used to the regal environment of a palace, but there was something about the Earth castle that was so different from hers. Sitting down on the couch in front of the warm, blazing fire, she watched as the Prince added another log of wood to the fire, before taking a seat down next to her.

Immediately, her body tensed again. Small proximities with the Prince always made her uneasy, yet at the same time it excited her. Focusing all her might onto the meat bun in front of her, she continued to nibble away at the bread, hoping that the tension between them would lighten up somewhat.

Instead, the two just remained in silence. All that could be hear was the crackling of the fire place, and the never ending thoughts and questions that went on in each of their heads. 'Why did he bring me here? What is he planning on saying? What's going to happen from now on?' Also playing in the back of her mind was Alani's words. Was the Prince really changing because of her? Could it be possible that he liked her? Was he really becoming a compassionate, gentle, sweet and romantic man, all because of her?

"So, shall we continue from last night?" Endymion asked, finally breaking the silence.

Wincing, Serenity shook her head in disappointment. 'I take that last question back.'

"If I recall correctly, you pulled away moments before I got a chance to--"

"O-oi!" she interrupted. "I'm sorry, okay! That was the first time I experienced lightning!"

Serenity held her breath as Endymion moved his face closer to her. He placed his lips just a hair's length away from her ears, whispering into them so seductively, "There's no lightning now, Princess..."

His hot breath on her ear made Serenity's insides melt into a pile of goop. Fists clenched tightly at her lap, she tried her best to ignore his advances, but he had such an incredible hold on her... "W-what... what are you trying to say, Prince?" she innocently asked, but was well aware of what he meant.

Her body froze completely when he placed a hand on her knee. Eyes widening, she stared in horror at his hand, knowing very well this was not a good sign. His lips brushed softly over her ear, and down her salty neck. "Shall I be the first to start, then?" he whispered again, while nibbling on his favourite spot of her neck.

Eyes rolling to the back of her head, Serenity closed her eyes at the feel of his lips on her sensitive skin. His lips were like poison; numbing her body from pain, yet slowly killing her at the same time. She couldn't stop the moan that came out of her mouth. "P-prince..."

So caught up in his lips, she didn't notice when his hand at her knee slowly ventured up the insides of her smooth legs. Unknowingly, she opened her legs for him, almost as if it were becoming a habit. Endymion smiled against her skin, relieved that he no longer had to put up with a resistant, hot blooded Princess. Not now, at least. When his fingers were close to her center, it was then Serenity realized just exactly what he was doing. Reflexively, she wrapped onto his wrist with her hand, stopping him from going any further. "D-don't..." she pleaded, eyes still closed.

But Endymion knew her too well. He knew the more she said no, the more she wanted it. Lifting his head up, he tilted hers to face him, before closing her lips with his.

Her entire body trembled when his lips crushed hers. He had kissed her many times before, but each and every time he did, it felt new, fresh, and just as mind-shattering as the last one. The Prince's lips moved over hers so roughly and passionately, yet at the same time, so gently and lovingly. His tongue parted her lips and pushed into her mouth hastily, running it along her tongue, which caused her to moan into his mouth.

Consumed entirely in his kiss, her hold on his wrist loosened involuntarily. Endymion took full advantage of her moment of weakness by moving his hand up to her panties. Pressing his two fingers against her sex, Serenity ripped her lips away from Endymion as a sharp bolt of pleasure ran through her entire body. "E-Endymion!" she gasped. Turning her head to face him, her eyes met with two blazing, blue fires, staring back at her with hunger and carnality.

His fingers stroked the bundle of nerves beneath her cotton panties, sending Serenity into a complete frenzy. At first he touched her slowly, then he started to pick up his pace. Her hand held on tightly to his wrist, not to stop him, but just to hold onto something as he assaulted her so erotically. He stroked her faster, and harder. "Endymion..." she cried, unable to contain her pleasure.

"Shhh," he hushed, kissing her lips. "Can't have anyone wake up and walk in on us, can we? Try to keep as quiet as you can, Princess..."

"How... how can I do that... when you're... you're... you--" She was cut off abruptly when she felt that his fingers had slid beneath her underwear and had entered her. "Oh God...!" she tried to whisper, but it only came out as another desperate cry.

"If you keep talking that loudly, I'm going to have to stop," Endymion warned, although he had no intentions of stopping anytime soon.

Serenity rested her head against the back of the couch, eyes clamped shut as she relished in the immense pleasure and delight she was feeling. Sure, he had done this many times to her before, but each time he did it, it felt better than the last.

Endymion simply watched for a few moments, as she writhed and cried beside him. It still amazed him how absolutely stunning she looked like this. The way she was completely helpless, and surrendered herself entirely to him, all for that one moment of absolute pleasure. Not to mention, those adorable and sexy sounds she made, a mix between a cat's mew and a woman's squeal. And most importantly, the way she moaned and screamed his name. He had never felt more powerful in his entire life.

"Oooohhh... Yes!" she cried, as he increased his pace. She was soaring into the clouds of ecstasy, as she felt herself close to an orgasm.

Endymion's lips moved back to her ear, nibbling gently on them, before he spoke softly into them. "Princess... I'm going to ask you a few questions, but you're going to have to reply quietly. Can you do that for me?" he requested, flicking her ear with his tongue.

Biting down on her lip, Serenity nodded, clutching onto the arm of the couch. She didn't know why he was going to ask her anything right now, since she could barely think at the moment. All that her mind could focus on was how crazy and wonderful he was making her feel at the moment.

"Every time you answer me truthfully, I'll touch you harder. If you lie to me, I'll stop all together. Deal?"

To be honest, Serenity didn't even hear half of what he said. "Y-yeah..." she half moaned, half replied.

"Alright then. Question one: Do you like it when I do this to you?" he asked, his voice reduced to a low, sensual whisper.

Was he kidding? Of course she liked what he was doing! Who in their right mind wouldn't? Unable to form proper words, Serenity simply nodded.

"Good girl," he mused. He inserted another finger into. Serenity cried as quietly as she could as her hips arched off the couch slightly, her entire body trembling against his touch. "Alright, question two. How much did you enjoy last night on a scale of one to ten?"

'Oh God.. numbers?' Her brain couldn't even fully register proper words, let alone numbers! "I... I..."

"Princess, don't make me pull out on you now..."

"T-ten!" she blurted, not wanting him to stop touching her.

He grinned against her ear. God, he was loving every moment of this! "Good." Endymion took his other hand, and placed it beneath her panties as well. Even though his arm was in an awkward position, that didn't matter. Replacing the spot where his palm was, he pressed down on her sensitive region, and began to rub against it in a similar fashion as he did the night before; slow, tantalizing, torturous circular motions.

"Unnnnhh!!" she cried loudly, forgetting that she needed to remain quiet. But she couldn't help it! The way he was whispering in her ear, and now that his other hand was rubbing so vivaciously against her, it sent pleasure throughout her entire body. Serenity didn't even notice that her hips were bucking wildly against his fingers. He was driving her absolutely, positively insane with desire!

"Question three. Remember, you have to answer truthfully. Do you still hate me?"

There was no time to fully register and understand his question, so she simply blurted out the first thing that came to her. "N-no...!" she wailed, unsure of whether she said it because it was true, or because she just wanted him to touch her more. Endymion hadn't expected to hear that, but he trusted that it was true. And so, he rubbed faster and harder. "Ahh!" she gasped, holding on tightly to his shirt. "Endymion!"

"Last question, Princess."

"H-hurry.. I'm almost... I'm almost..."

"You have to answer me truthfully, remember."

"Yes... yes...!"

"...are you in love with me?"

Unfortunately, she wasn't able to answer his question. With a prolonged, pleasureful moan, Serenity grasped his shirt tightly, as her body exploded with pleasure, centered in on that one spot in her core. Her body arched off the couch, as her legs locked tightly around his hand. She clenched her eyes as her her inner walls tightened around his fingers. "Endymion!" she cried, as her body shook and convulsed with excitement while she came hard against his hand.

That was the second time she orgasmed, but to Endymion it felt as it was the first time he had seen it. The fact that she looked so amazing during that one moment just made him want to give her more and more of them. Unfortunately, she had came at the most crucial question, the one thing he was thinking about the entire day, and the main reason why he started doing this to her in the first place.

After returning back to her senses, Serenity collapsed into his embrace. Her chest heaved up and down, attempting to gain back the oxygen she had lost during that time. A feeling of satisfaction rushed over her, as she snuggled comfortably in his arms. "Wow... that was... more amazing than yesterday..."

Endymion kissed her forehead. "Was it?"

"Mmhmmm," she nodded. "I'm sorry, what was your last question?"

He paused for a bit, before continuing. "I asked... I asked if you were in love with me."

Thrown off by his question, Serenity looked up at him astoundingly. "W-what?! O-of course not...!"

His blue, azure eyes burned into hers. "Then... what are we doing here?"

"W-why are you asking me?!" she demanded. She ripped herself away from his arms, much to Endymion's distress, and stood up from the couch.

"Because I sure as hell don't know," Endymion groaned, resting his head back on the couch. "I've spent the whole day thinking about it, and I _still_ haven't come up with an answer."

Adjusting her skirt, Serenity frowned. "Is that why you put me under house arrest?"

"Of course, you idiot! How could I possibly think about you if you were right in front me all day?!" he yelled, frustrated.

"So we _are_ going back to the name calling, jerk?!"

Endymion sighed. "Would that be easier for the both of us?"

She froze, taken back by his question. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it, Princess. We're obviously attracted to each other."

Serenity scoffed. "I have _no_ idea what you're--"

"Princess, please!" he pleaded, exasperated. "Just.. just stop, there's no point in trying to cover it up now. What's done is done, so let's just deal with it."

Serenity folded her arms across her chest, staring down at the floor. As much as she hated to admit it, she was.. no, _is_ attracted to him. It was all his fault, anyways! If he hadn't teased and seduced her so much, she would have never allowed herself to be attracted to him whatsoever. "Fine, I am. Happy?"

"Ecstatic," he breathed, falling back down on the couch. "But that's not the point. The point is, our respective nations are at war. How idiotic would it be to have us engage in a relationship, right?" Rubbing his face with his hand, Endymion sighed. "I admit, a good portion of this is my fault."

Serenity's eyes widened. That was something she hadn't expected to hear!

"It's just... something changes when I'm around you... something about _me_ changes. I can't help it when I'm around you..."

Serenity froze. Was Alani right? Was she really changing the Prince into a better man? If that were true, perhaps all the other things she said were true. Maybe, just maybe, the Prince _was_ falling for her--

"So I guess, the smartest thing to do would be to break it off here," he firmly stated as he stood up from the couch.

At that point, Serenity felt like the ground beneath her crumble into an oblivion. That one sentence alone, hit her like a freight train. "W..what?" she asked. He wanted to break it off with her? Clutching at her pained heart, Serenity wondered why those words hurt her so much.

"If this goes any further, things are going to get really messed up. As long as things are just physical between us, we can stop this without any messes."

Keeping her head low, Serenity tried her best to keep up with what he was saying. The Prince was right; their nations were at war. Their union would only fuel the anger, not stop it. Not to mention, she would have her head hung for engaging with the Prince of the Earth! None of it made sense. The only thing that did, was what he said: to break it off before it got messy.

So why did her heart hurt so much right now?

"So basically, you're breaking up with me?" she weakly asked.

"Idiot. Don't make it sound like we were a couple. We were just two people, unable to deny our primal instincts. As long as we stop it here, where everything is just physical, no one will get hurt, right?"

She felt her knees start to shake, as the tears behind her eyes started to fall down her cheeks. She was crying? Why was she crying? Quickly rubbing them away, she was thankful she had her back to him. "O-of course!" she found herself saying. "You're for once, absolutely right!"

"Unless... Serenity... you've already, fallen for me?" He sounded as if he wanted to hear her say yes.

"Was that... was that why you... we were... just now...?"

Endymion scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I thought maybe if you were in that state, it'd be easier to get those answers out of you. I knew you wouldn't be able to admit it straight out like this. We're both pretty stubborn, I have to admit," he smiled.

Serenity laughed. "You're right."

His smile faded, when that was all she said. "By your lack of response, I'm guessing you haven't fallen for me. So, let's just let bygones be bygones," he stated, holding out his hand in front of him.

She looked over her shoulder at the man holding out his hand. Why did he want her to tell him she loved him? Would that stop all this from happening? If she told him that, would he not be breaking this off? But wouldn't that make things more complicated? What would her mother say? 'I've fallen in love with the man who held me for ransom to make you give up your kingdom?'

But she didn't want to let him go! She wanted to still talk to him, be around him, and laugh with him. Hell, she even wanted him to tease her! But the Prince had pretty much already decided their fate. Even if she did have feelings for him, it wouldn't matter anymore. He cared more about his planet than he did for her. Which was how it should be. Mustering up the courage and strength she had left, Serenity slowly walked up to him, and shook his hand. "Bygones be bygones."

"Unfortunately, I can't let you go as a prisoner, yet at the same time I can't have you around me all the time. We're going to have to stick to the original agreement, where you stay in your room. Alani will bring you food, keep you company every now and then, but that's just how it's going to be from now on," Endymion explained, trying his best to ignore the electricity from the touch of her hand on his.

"R-right... until I find a way out of here, right?"

He laughed. "Yeah, until you find a way out of here."

"P-prince... will I ever see you again?" she asked, taking a small step forward.

"Probably. After all these feelings disappear, you'll probably go back to hating me."

She smiled. "Probably. And you'll go back to hating me, right?"

Endymion shook his head. "I never hated you, Serenity."

"W-wha--" He never hated her?! She was cut off when he pulled his hand away from hers.

"Well, we better get back to bed. I locked your door when we left, but I didn't close it, so you can head back alone."

Too many thoughts were going on in her head. How could he spring that on her last minute?! "W-wait, Prince--"

"Good night, Princess. I'll see you in a while, I suppose," And with that, he placed his hand at the back of her head, and pulled her in, kissing her on the forehead.

As he walked past her, Serenity had only a few seconds to stop him. All it took was for her to yell his name. Tell him, to stop, come back, and not make the biggest mistake of his life. Tell him, she still wanted to see him! That was all it took to stop this downward spiral.

By the time his name made it off her tongue, he had already left the room.

* * *

When Serenity finally made it to her room, she was surprised to see she wasn't alone. "A-Alani? What are you doing here?" 

Jumping up from the chair at the desk, Alani smiled. "Princess! I'm sorry, I was just worried when I found your door unlocked and you weren't here. Where did you go?"

Sighing, she wasted no time in plopping herself onto her comfortable bed. "I was with the Prince. He said he wanted to talk to me about what happened last night."

Surprised to hear that Endymion had finally taken the initiative, Alani gasped. "What did he say?" she asked eagerly.

The tears started to build up in her eyes as she remembered what had just happened. Trying to brush it off, Serenity forced out a laugh. "That idiot... broke up with me!"

"W-what?!"

"Can you believe it, Alani?" she laughed again, placing her wrist over her eyes, as she felt the tears start to fall. "My only regret is that I didn't get the chance to break it off with him first!"

Noticing her tears, Alani moved forward onto her bed next to the fallen Princess. She couldn't believe what she was hearing! Why would Endy break up with her, when it was so obvious he cared about her? There was no way she could have been wrong about what she said before. If she knew anyone better in this world than herself, it was Endymion!

"I'm relieved, Alani, really! This means I don't have to deal with his stupid face anymore, and once I find a way out of here, I'm free!" At this point, Serenity's voice was already cracking, as the tears started to flow more and more down her face. "I'm happy, I'm really... really happy..."

Wrapping her hand around Serenity's wrist, Alani gently pulled it aside. The Princess' tear soaked eyes came into view, breaking Alani's heart. "Princess, your eyes--"

"Don't worry, Alani! These are happy tears...!" she spoke through sniffles. "I'm really, just ecstatic...!"

Alani sighed, brushing away the bangs clinging to her eyes. 'Poor Princess... she realized her feelings too late.' "You really liked him, didn't you?"

She laughed again. "What? Why would you think that?! I... I could never fall in love with that idiot! Just.. just ignore the tears, they're really nothing...!"

"Serenity..."

"Really! I'm fine. I'll be fine in the morning, I mean! This was all just so sudden...!" she exclaimed, a bit too cheerfully. "He just kind of sprung it on me so suddenly, and of course I was shocked, but still, really really happy!"

"Serenity...!" Alani yelled. "Look at yourself! Do you know how much you're crying right now?!"

Serenity clenched her eyes, as she bit down on her bottom lip. She was well aware of how much tears had fallen down her face in the past few minutes, but she had hoped that if she said they didn't matter, that maybe she would feel that way. But Serenity didn't; it _did _matter. It was as if all those feelings she kept bottled up, were finally pouring out in the form of tears.

Why did it hurt so bad? Why did watching him walk away feel like someone just ripped her heart out? Her bottom lip trembled, as her voice began to waver. "That idiot... he just kept asking me, 'Are you in love with me, are you in love with me?'"

"Serenity..."

"And yet, he didn't even bother to wait for me to say anything! He just kept going on, not even giving me time to think! How am I supposed to answer someone like that in a matter of seconds? Then he goes on about how he _changes_ around me... giving me the slightest, inkling, tiny hope that..."

"Princess..."

"And then he swings around and breaks up with me! The nerve of that idiot...! And at the very last minute... he says he never hated me...!"

"Shh, it's okay, Princess..."

"There's no way... no way... I can't be in love with him, Alani... I just can't be...!" she cried hysterically.

"Why not?" Alani asked, trying her best to brush away her tears.

"Because I have no reason to fall for him... no reason whatsoever! And yet... and yet, my heart really hurts right now, Alani..."

Alani finally understood why it was so hard for Serenity to admit her feelings. It wasn't just because she was stubborn and didn't want to fully admit it, but the poor Princess had _no idea_ what love really was, even though it was staring her right in the face this whole time. With her thumb, she brushed away more tears that trailed down her face.

"The simple answer to that is simply, sometimes you don't _need_ a reason to fall in love with someone," Alani explained, dabbing her face with a handkerchief. Serenity looked up at her with puzzled eyes, as she stopped crying for a moment.

"You don't... need a reason?" she repeated between sniffles.

"No, sweetie, not always. Love... love isn't as rational as you think it is. In fact, it's the most irrational emotion there is in this world. It doesn't make sense, it happens at the most inconvenient of times, and it just seems like more work than it's worth.

"But here's the kicker, Princess. While it is the most abrupt, rash and illogical feeling... all in all, at the same time... it's the one thing that makes sense in this God forsaken world."

For the first time, Serenity finally understood what Alani was saying to her. Perhaps deep down, she knew all this, but she didn't fully realize it until she heard it being said to her. The double edged sword of love: It was the exact same way she felt about the Prince. Being with him, not hating him... that was illogical, it was irrational, and nothing about them made sense at all!

Yet at the same time... laughing with him, smiling with him, being held by him... that, in every sense of the word, was the most logical and the only thing that ever felt completely _right_ to her.

And suddenly, everything wasn't so confusing anymore. She finally understood why she couldn't stay away from him, no matter how hard she tried. She knew why she cried over him when she thought he was with Alani. She now knew why his touches were more than just physical pleasure. And now, she knew why her heart pained so much when he walked away from her.

...she was in love with the Prince.

Serenity felt her bottom lip tremble harder beneath her. It didn't occur to her until now, but she really had fallen in love with him! "Alani... you're right... I do love... the.. Prince..." The words just rolled off her tongue. Although it sounded so weird in her head, it felt perfectly right to say it out loud. Then, the tears started to fall down her face again, as if triggered by her sudden revelation.

Alani smiled down at her. "I always knew that, Princess. I'm just happy you've finally admitted it to yourself."

Love. She loved the Prince. Loved him with her entire heart and soul. It didn't feel weird to say it anymore. When did she fall in love with him? Why was it only now she realized this? "Oh Alani, what's going to happen now? He thinks I don't like him... but that's not true. I love him, I really do, with my entire heart love him--"

"Shhh, shhh..." Alani hushed, stroking her face lovingly. "Don't worry, Princess. I'll help you through this, okay? Just let it all out now, I'm here for you."

And Serenity did exactly that. She cried, harder than she ever cried in her entire life. All those feelings and love she felt for the Prince, finally came out that night. Despite the consequences and the future mistakes she would commit because of this, at that point it didn't matter.

All that mattered to her was that she was in love with a rash, selfish, arrogant, idiotic, jerk of a Prince, who made her more happier than she had ever felt in her entire life.


	10. Chapter 9

**Prisoner of His Heart  
**Written by: Odango Atama

Sorry for the long wait, but I had midterms for the past two weeks and I didn't have much time to write a chapter for this until now. It's a bit on the long side (15 pages!) to make up for the lack of updates. It gets a little steamy in the end, but nothing too drastic. This is virtually the same chapter so you don't have to check the other one for a steamier version. Enjoy, and leave a review!

* * *

"Everything is starting to come together. The cake should be coming in a few hours, as well as the food."

"Great. What about the musical accompaniment?"

"They're coming in two hours."

"Perfect. Anything else?"

"Yes," Alani replied, removing her glasses. "There's a slight problem with the attendance."

Prince Endymion rubbed his face aggravatingly with his hand. "You're kidding me. Who's not showing up?"

Alani shook her head in response. "No, Endy, it's not that. Everyone who RSVPed is coming. We just have an issue with certain people who _weren't_ invited."

He groaned. "I put you in charge for a reason, so that _I_ wouldn't have to deal with these petty issues."

"Look, I just want this to be perfect, okay? I mean, it's not every day my best friend turns twenty," she added with a smile as she nudged him with her elbow.

Tonight was indeed, the biggest event of the year, and all of it was resting on her shoulders. Today was the day the Prince of the Earth turned twenty years old and of course, it was going to be the most extravagant and elegant celebration the people of the Earth has ever seen! Naturally, Endymion had assigned her to be the planner. Although she was ecstatic to be given such responsibility, Alani never realized how much work would be put into it.

'Well, it is the most important event of the year. I mean, anybody who is anybody is going to be here tonight!' There were only a few hours before people from all over the world would be making their way through those palace doors. The decorations, the music, the food, all of it had to be perfect. She had to make it all flawless for him, meaning _nothing_, absolutely nothing could go wrong.

Admitting defeat, Endymion smiled back. "Fine. What about the invitations?"

Glancing down at her notepad, Alani tapped the back of her pencil against her cheek. "Well, firstly, there's Jeannette and Michael. Although they were good friends with your parents, you haven't really seen or talked to them since you were a kid. Word got around, and they seemed pretty upset that they weren't invited."

"Jeannette and Michael? I don't even remember them," he recalled, searching his memory for any memory of those two names. "But it doesn't matter, just invite them. Tell them the invitations got lost in the mail."

"Sneaky," she grinned, while jotting down some notes on her paper. "Now, there's also the issue of Beryl. You _know_ she's going to kill everyone if she's not invited."

Just the mention of her name was enough to bring a pounding headache to Endymion's poor temples. How he wished that woman would just disappear completely from his life! "We better invite her. She's going to blow a casket if I don't. Even if I declined, she'd just show up anyways," he sighed, shaking his head.

"So, 'yes' it is," she giggled. "Alright, now there's one last person we have to deal with..." Alani trailed off, smile fading as she looked up uncertainly at Endymion.

"Who is it?" The way she was looking at him right now made him feel somewhat uneasy.

"Well, you see... since it's your birthday... I figured you'd want as many friends and family there with you, and so..."

Growing impatient, Endymion gestured for her to hurry up with his hand. "Who is it you are unsure of?"

Biting down on her lip, Alani turned her body in order to face him directly. Placing on her sternest look possible, she put a hand on Endymion's shoulder. "I want you to invite Princess Serenity to your birthday," she put as bluntly as she could.

It had been two _very long_ weeks since the Princess had finally admitted her feelings for Endymion. She had cried that night in Alani's arms for hours end until she was finally too tired and fell asleep. Ever since then, Serenity had confined herself to bed since she was no longer needed as Endymion's assistant or servant. Refusing to get up except for the occasional bathroom usage and shower, her figure was becoming alarmingly smaller since she wasn't eating as much anymore. She barely talked, and when the rare time came when she did, her voice lacked the life and spark it had before.

This whole ordeal must have definitely hit her hard. To discover her feelings for a man she originally despised right after he breaks up with her? Oh, but Alani was _sure_ Endymion had feelings for Serenity. But why would he all of a sudden just break it off with her? Then again, Endymion knew what is at stake if he engaged with a Moonling, and of all people the Moon Princess. Plus after what happened to his parents, how could he do it? Yet at the same time, if he knew how much the Princess liked him... heck, if he even _knew_ that the Princess liked him... that would change everything.

But for some reason Serenity didn't want her to. The day after she realized her feelings, Serenity pleaded to her not to tell the Prince. _"It's obvious that he doesn't feel the same way. That's why he broke things off between us. These feelings will disappear anyways, right? Besides, he has a kingdom to maintain, and I'm a Moonling... how could he ever fall in love with me? So please, please, Alani, don't tell the Prince, I beg you..."_

'Stupid, stubborn idiots...!' Alani tried to talk to Endymion about what happened, but he simply just brushed off the topic every time. Fortunately, there was no way he could avoid it this time. He had set her in charge of his twentieth birthday party, and so there was no way she was letting him go this time!

Endymion immediately avoided her eyes at the sound of Serenity's name, while his headache took that opportune moment to torment him further. "I haven't spoken to her since that night we agreed to stop seeing each other. I don't think she'd go even if I asked her. Besides, that defeats the whole purpose of breaking it off in the first place. We're supposed to _not_ see each other," he reasoned.

Frowning, Alani gripped tightly on his shoulder. "But it's your birthday, Endy! I think she has a right to be there!" she argued.

Shrugging off her hand, Endymion turned his back to her. "You're making a big deal out of this, Alani. Besides, how do you think people would react if they saw the Moon Princess at _my_ birthday? They'd have my head on a platter not to mention hers too, if she gets caught." He paused briefly, looking up at the ceiling. "Then again, I think it would be nice to see her..."

Alani's eyes lit up. "So you'll invite her?"

Sighing again, Endymion shook his head. "No, I'm not inviting her, and that's final. It wouldn't make sense to do so. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to finish some things up."

As he walked hastily away, Alani realized that getting them to talk to each other again was going to be more difficult this time around. 'Why am I the one who always has to patch things up between them? I should just stop caring and leave them alone.'

But she knew that she wouldn't be able to do that. The Princess brought out the good in Endymion, and something like that should not be thrown away so easily. She owed him that, at the very least, after what she did to him two years ago. Nodding with determination, Alani felt a rush of motivation surge throughout her body. She was going to help Endymion and the Princess get back together if it was the last thing she'd do!

* * *

Princess Serenity wasn't sure which comforted her more at the moment; the darkness or the silence, however, both definitely made her feel better. Lying on her side with her eyes closed, she let the peace and quiet consume her, taking away her troubles while at the same time soothing her broken heart. That was all she needed. Not food, not water, not shelter... just peace, and quiet. 

"Why are you so glum, Serenity?"

Flinching at the intrusive sound, her eyes opened at first with annoyance, but softened when they came face to face with the all too recognizable man in front of her. Sighing, she closed her eyes again, resting her weary head against the back of her hand. "You're back?" she asked.

"I never left. Did you miss me?" the man asked.

"Always," she whispered, keeping her eyes closed. "Do you miss me too, Prince?"

Whether it was because she wasn't eating properly or the fact that she was just so emotionally drained, something in her mind had been creating these false hallucinatory visions of the Prince. Every night, he would come to her bed and just talk to her. Unlike before where she dreamed of him, these happened when she was awake. At first, Serenity thought it was real, but when his body lacked the warmth and love she felt when the real Prince was around her, she knew that the man in front of her couldn't be real. But his presence hauntingly made her feel comfortable, even if it was all a lie.

Laying next to her flat on his back with his hands behind his head, Prince Endymion shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? I am just a figment of _your_ imagination. If I say I miss you, it's because _you_ want me to miss you."

"Couldn't you have just lied to me?" she half joked.

Changing the topic completely, Endymion's tone of voice all of a sudden became serious. "You need to eat, Serenity," he informed, frowning slightly at her.

"That's just my brain talking back to me, isn't it?"

"It should never come to this stage. You shouldn't be hallucinating about me."

"Wrong, Prince. If we're talking about things I shouldn't have done, then I shouldn't have _fallen_ for you," she corrected.

Endymion chuckled. "Touché, Princess. Does Alani know you talk to yourself at night?"

It was Serenity's turn to laugh. "She probably thinks I've gone crazy. Maybe I have. I fell for you, didn't I?"

"Falling for me isn't such a bad thing, Serenity."

She frowned. "What do you know? You're just a figment of my imagination," she argued bitterly.

"True, but whatever I think is what _you_ think, so I know more about you than you think I do," he retorted, grinning confidently.

"Touché, Prince," she grumbled. God, she was losing a battle with her own subconsciousness! "I can't believe my own subconsciousness is haunting me. Something is wrong with me, I swear."

"Maybe you should eat, then," Endymion suggested.

She shook her head. "I just don't feel like eating. I just want to go home. Away from this place, away from this planet, away from..." Her lips trailed off, pausing to open her eyes. While staring at his profile, her expression softened. He was just as gorgeous in her mind as he was in real life. "...away from you. I just.. I just don't want to feel like this anymore."

"Feel like what, Serenity?" he asked, looking back up at the darkness above them.

"I feel like... like my heart is ripped in two. I feel like, if I don't get out of here, I'm going to suffocate. I feel like, I've wasted two weeks of my life in bed." Her bottom lip trembled, as she felt the tears building up behind her eyes. "I feel like if I don't see you or talk to you soon, I feel like my whole world is going to crumble beneath me. I feel like... I've cried more than I possibly could over you, Prince..."

Endymion smiled as he reached over and brushed her tears away with his finger. "So come talk to me then, Serenity."

"I can't!" Serenity cried, sniffing back her tears.

"Why not?"

"Because... because you're an idiot, and you rashly decided things on your own without even asking me!" she yelled, slapping away his hand. "Stupid, idiot...!" She cursed, flipping on her other side.

Just then, the darkened and ominous surroundings that she sought comfort in disappeared, consumed entirely by a blinding light that filled the room completely. Her eyes unable to fully adjust in time squinted in an attempt to block out the invading luminescence. "Who's there?!" she demanded, while holding a hand up in front of her eyes.

"It's just me, Princess," Alani spoke softly, shutting the door behind her. "Sorry, did I wake you up?"

Serenity sat up as she rubbed her eyes. "No, I was resting my eyes," she lied.

Glancing briefly to her side, her face saddened when she saw that no one was beside her. Turning her head back towards Alani, Serenity cocked her head curiously at her. In a simple black spaghetti cocktail dress that hung flatteringly around her body, Alani looked stunning. Her chestnut brown hair was tied half up in a bun, while the lower half was curled. The makeup on her face gave her a glowing yet regal appearance, which made Serenity wonder if the person in front of her was really that innocent, conservative Alani she had come to know these past few weeks. "Why.. why are you dressed up so formally?" Serenity inquired.

"Princess, I am in dire need of your assistance..." Alani began, while closing the door behind her. With a dress and make up kit in hand, she locked the door behind her. 'I'm sorry Princess, but this really is for your own good. I hope you can forgive me...'

* * *

The one thing Endymion found most amusing about social gatherings such as these was talking to people he could hardly remember as if they were the best of friends. Take this couple, for example, Bridgette and John. A couple that apparently did business with his parents yet never took the time to visit him except on parties where they could potentially extend their enterprise by recruiting people, laughed and smiled away as if they were old friends. "How are you doing? How are the kids? Things are running smoothly here, thank you for asking! We should get together soon and talk about old times." What old times were there? He couldn't even remember a 'time' he spent with them in the first place! It didn't bother him, putting on a mask like this in front of all these people, but it was amusing, never the less. 

Sipping on his drink, Endymion marveled at the extent to which Alani had prepared his birthday celebration. Although he had set foot in this ballroom many times before, tonight it felt as if he were in a whole new atmosphere. The lighting gave it an elegant feel, and the decorations were so intricately positioned that it didn't look cluttered at all. He knew asking Alani to plan his birthday would be the best choice, considering she was the only person who knew him inside out, and had the decorative touch of a Goddess. His favourite flower, the rose, filled the entire room with it's presence and alluring scent. His favourite food, chocolates, littered the dining table in every creative way possible. The waltz music played by the live accompaniment soothed his every nerve. 'Alani.. you definitely outdid yourself tonight.'

Dressed in a black tuxedo with a white mask covering his eyes, the theme of a masquerade birthday was yet another simple and elegant touch Alani incorporated. His entire life he hid behind a mask, only revealing his true self to a select amount of people. Alani truly did know him more than he knew himself sometimes...

Still, as wonderful as the party was, he couldn't shake off that feeling of disappointment rumbling inside of him. Although Alani planned this to a T, he felt as if there was something... something crucial that was missing from his happy day...

_"Prince!" Serenity smiled cheerfully. _

He didn't even bother questioning whether it was the Princess or not that made him feel that way, because he already _knew_ she was the reason. In front of everyone, he tried to act as if everything were the same, but inside, all Endymion could think about was that blonde-haired temptress in disguise. He had never felt more depraved than he had these past few weeks. Not only sexually, but emotionally as well. Without her around, everything seemed so dull, so lifeless, and so utterly boring. Even the other women didn't interest him anymore. No matter what he did, no matter what he could do, all Endymion could think of was storming to Serenity's room, take back what he said, and take her passionately on the bed.

Despite what he said to her, Endymion _knew_ what he felt for her wasn't just physical. He wasn't sure yet if it was love, or just a silly crush, but the feelings he had for her weren't just after her body. Something really did change inside of him when she was around. Something that he hadn't felt in a very, very long time...

But Endymion also knew that what he did needed to be done. He needed to cut all ties with her, if he was going to properly lead his kingdom into victory. Even though his feelings were of a whole other issue, he knew that what Serenity felt for him was simply just physical. Perhaps that was why he kept asking her if she liked him... if there was even a slight chance, even if it was the smallest, that she actually _did_ care for him.. maybe.. maybe things would have been different.

But Serenity made it clear. She made it all crystal clear. They needed time apart to sort through their feelings. And as much as Endymion wanted to give in, he couldn't. This was truly a test of his will power, a will power he didn't even know he had until now.

"Happy birthday, Prince Endymion!" a woman exclaimed, as she and her husband approached him pulling him out of his train of thinking. Seeing that it was Jeannette and Michael, Endymion immediately started to feel very uneasy. Jeannette was a fairly young woman, with blonde curly hair and an olive green strapless dress. Her husband however, was much older than her, which was seen by his rapid receding hairline and gray hair.

"Thank you, Jeannette. Michael. I'm so glad you two were able to make it. Again, I'm so sorry about the invite mix up. I would have hated it if you were not able to share the joys my special day," Endymion replied, while taking a hold of Jeannette's hand in his and kissed the back of it. He didn't know when he had become so good at lying, but it wasn't until this very moment he was ever so thankful he had that gift.

"Don't worry about it, Prince! We're just happy we were able to be here," Jeannette smiled.

"Everything looks lovely. Whoever did this for you did a bang up job, my good man," Michael said, while patting Endymion on the shoulder. "I'm sure your parents would have been happy to see what a wonderful ruler and man you've turned out to be."

"Thank you, Michael. I really appreciate that," he replied, suddenly feeling guilty for almost not inviting them.

"Speaking of which, I heard that you have the Moon Princess in custody." Jeannette exclaimed.

Endymion flinched involuntarily at the mention of her name. Why was it that no matter what he did, he could never escape talking about the Princess? "Y-yes. It was.. quite the capture," he mused.

"How horrible it is to have a Moonling under your roof!" she sympathized. "She must be hard to handle."

Smiling at the irony of her words, Endymion nodded. "Yes, I guess you could say that..."

Suddenly, his entire body tensed as a strange feeling washed over him at that moment. It felt as if... someone was watching him. Which was silly, since this was _his_ birthday and of course people would be looking at him. However, for some reason, whomever pair of eyes it was that fell on him, they made him feel oddly jittery.

And then, he saw it. It was brief—no, a mere flicker that had caught his eye as they glanced over Michael's shoulder. They widened when they grazed over a woman just a small distance behind them. With golden hair, peach skin and a lavender dress, a sense of familiarity sparked inside of him. 'She looks... she looks like _her_... but it couldn't be...'

Suddenly, the woman took off in the opposite direction. If Endymion hadn't been keeping his eye on her that whole time, he would have definitely lost her in the crowd. Taking this opportune moment as his exit, Endymion placed a hand on Michael's arm. "Well, I must check on something. Have a great time tonight, you two. We should get together and catch up on old times." Not even bothering to hear their reply to an invitation he was most likely to leave unattended, Endymion walked past them towards the direction of the mystery woman.

There was no doubt in his mind that the uneasy feeling he felt was because of that woman staring at him. He wasn't able to catch her face, (not that it would have mattered since her eyes were covered by a mask), but the blond hair was enough to get him on his feet. Even though he knew it _couldn't _be who he thought it was, Endymion could not shake off that feeling of suspicion. It was as if his body was being lured to her, against his will.

Through the crowds, he searched desperately for her. Like the Prince searching for his runaway Cinderella, Endymion persevered to find her. He had to confirm in his mind that this woman wasn't the Princess and that he was just making all of this up in his head. Yet at the same time, somewhere deep inside of him, he knew he was wishing that it was her. It was that voice that had plagued him for two weeks straight, nagging at him to visit the Princess and take back what he said. Nagging at him to make up with her. Nagging at him to hold her in his arms again...

In a matter of minutes, Endymion was able to finally spot the woman. She stood outside on the balcony, grasping tightly onto the railing. The wind blew gently through the skirt of her dress, and through her bangs, ruffling them gently. Stepping through the doors to the balcony, the cool night air rushed over his body, calming him slightly. Stopping in his tracks just a few meters behind her, the woman immediately felt his presence and slowly turned around to face him.

Endymion felt as time had stopped altogether. It wasn't until then he had fully noticed what she was wearing. Her dress light lavender strapless dress went down all the way to her feet, hugging her body in a _very_ seductive and flattering way. Her gloves ran all the way past her elbows, ending with a red bow. With red flowers dancing at the top of her breasts and on her waist, Endymion's mouth went dry. Her hair was held in two buns on the sides of her head decorated with pearls, similar to that of Serenity's, but without a ponytail hanging from each end. A small golden crown adorned the top of her head, giving her a very regal appearance.

But something was missing. On her forehead where a crescent moon should have been shining brightly, all that was there was the smooth skin of her forehead. Maybe this wasn't the Princess after all?

But she looked absolutely stunning. There weren't enough words to fully describe how he felt when he saw her like that, with the wind blowing gently through her hair and dress. Even though her hair was different and her eyes were hidden, Endymion knew who this woman was. He probably knew the moment he saw her over Michael's shoulder. There was no woman in the world who made his body tense up like this with just a mere look of her eyes.

For a few minutes, they stared in silence at one another. Although both their eyes were hidden by masks, it was almost as if they could see each other through them. There was no doubt in his mind, that she was indeed, Princess Serenity. Yet so many questions were racing through his mind. How could she have gotten in? Who gave her that dress? What happened to her crescent moon? And more importantly, why was she here in the first place?

Finally summoning up the courage to approach her, the sudden urge to wrap his arms around her sparked inside of him. Especially since she was looking at him like that, and shivering slightly in the cold wind. How he wanted to warm her body with his, calming her trembling body. Hands clenched at his sides, Endymion knew he couldn't do that, as much as he wanted so desperately to. Instead, he stopped a good distance in front, giving him enough room to maintain his self control. "What... what are you doing here?" he demanded, his voice colder than he intended it to be.

"H-how did you know it was me?" she shyly asked, hands gripping tightly around the railing behind her.

"Stupid idiot," Endymion scolded beneath his breath, disregarding her question. He had to make sure not to catch the attention of those inside. If they knew the Moon Princess was here in the same room as them, everything would turn into a huge mess. Removing his mask, he frowned at her sternly. "Do you know how much trouble you could get into if you're caught, idiot?"

"I didn't even know what was going on! Alani woke me up, put me in this dress and told me to come with her here. She said she was invited to this party but she didn't know anyone and so she wanted me to go with her. It all happened so fast, I wasn't sure what was happening. I didn't know you were here!" Serenity argued.

His legs betrayed him as they moved involuntarily forward, closing the distance between them. "That girl... one of these days, I'm just going to have to tell her to stop meddling in my business," he muttered. Reaching out with his hand, his fingers grazed gently over her forehead. "What happened to your moon?"

Blushing, Serenity continued to avoid his eyes. "Alani put make up on top of it. I honestly didn't know you would be here, and that it was your birthday... If I had known--"

"Would you not have come?" he interrupted, his voice softening as he tilted his head slightly to the right.

Serenity's face flushed red. "I... o-of course I wouldn't have!" she quickly replied. "W-why would I want to attend your stupid birthday, jerk?"

Endymion smiled. Oh, how he missed hearing those words. Her catty attitude, her snippy remarks, and the way her face flustered whenever he got close to her. He didn't fully realize until then that he really, genuinely and truly, missed this girl that stood in front of him. "You wouldn't have missed it for the world," he teased, thumb dancing over her warm cheek.

"W-why..." she questioned, swatting his hand away from her cheek, glaring up at him in annoyance. "Why, why do you _always_ have to say things like that?!"

"What do you mean?" Endymion asked, a bit taken back by her question.

"Teasing me, and saying things like that..."

"Princess, I don't actually mean--"

"...it confuses me..."

"Confuses?"

"You broke this off, so you're not allowed to say things like that anymore!" she cried, pressing her hands on his chest and pushing him away.

Stumbling backwards, Endymion at her bewilderedly. "If I recall Princess, we _both_ agreed to break this off. Remember, 'Let bygones be bygones?' Besides, what does it matter to you what I say, Princess?" he challenged.

"Everything!" she snapped. Gasping her hand flew to her mouth. Serenity couldn't believe what she had just said, and neither could Endymion. Embarrassed by her slip, Serenity kept her head down, facing the ground as she attempted to walk past him. Still reveling in shock at what she said, Endymion immediately snapped out of it when he noticed her walk by him. Instinctively, he reached out to grab her wrist, but missed. Instead, his hand held her hand firmly in his, holding her back.

"Wait... what... what did you mean by that?" he demanded, tightening his grip.

Refusing to look at him, Serenity kept her back to him, basking in the feeling of his hand around hers. "Nothing! I didn't mean anything by it at all--"

"Serenity! _What_ did you mean by that?" he repeated, gritting his teeth. What did she mean by 'everything'?

"Nothing, alright?! Just drop it!" With a strong yank, she pulled herself out of his hold, stumbling forward a bit. Holding her hand close to her chest, Serenity could still feel his hand holding onto hers. Looking up at the sky blanketed with stars, Serenity sighed. It was such a romantic setting, and here she was almost on the verge of tears. 'How could I have slipped up so easily?!' Her heart was racing at a thousand miles per hour. 'It was so much easier talking to him when I hated him,' she thought.

"Are you regretting it?" he boldly asked, taking another step forward.

Serenity froze at his words. Although on one hand she didn't because she would have never realized her feelings if he hadn't forced her to. On the other hand, she was perfectly fine before not knowing how she felt about him. But what would cause him to pose that question? Was he doubting his judgment? Did _he _regret it?

"Do you?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder.

Endymion took a deep breath while digging his hands in his pockets. Did he? 'I suppose on some level I do... but I'm sure it was the right thing to do.' If they continued any more, there was no doubt in his mind he would have fallen hard for the Princess, if he hadn't already. "No, I don't think I so," he replied. "I believe, and still believe, it was the right choice."

And that was all she needed. There wasn't anymore point in staying in this conversation. Anymore, and her already broken heart would have been shattered even more. Fighting desperately to hold back her tears, Serenity rubbed away the ones that fell before she was able to stop them. "Well, I'm happy for you!" she yelled, a bit too bitterly for her liking. 'Are you an idiot? Do you want him to know you like him?!'

Upset by her tone of voice, Endymion frowned. "Why are you so angry? And why won't you turn around to face me?"

"I'm not angry!" 'Idiot, don't say you're not angry, angrily!' Knowing that if she stayed in this conversation anymore, she would eventually say something she'd regret. "I'm sorry I intruded on your wondrous celebration. I'll be going now, alright?"

"Oi, wait!" he called.

But it was too late. Serenity stormed off hurriedly, leaving a dumbfounded Prince Endymion staring at her from behind, wondering what had just happened.

* * *

As she passed through the balcony doors back into the bustling and lively party, Serenity wasn't sure whether she was frustrated more at herself or at the Prince. All she knew was that she was filled with an unbearable mixed amount of frustration, anger and sadness that was driving her crazy! 'I can't believe how stupid I am! I almost slipped up in front of him!' 

The Prince was a smart man. It would only take a few minutes of concise and thoughtful thinking to figure out how she was really feeling. Serenity couldn't let him know about her secret crush on him. Not only was it embarrassing especially after all the time he teased her about it, but after what he said, it was painfully obvious that he didn't feel at all the same. 'What's the point when he's not interested?'

But whenever he would tease her, or said those sweet things, it sparked a tiny inkling of hope that maybe, if the Gods allowed it, some part of him really did care about her... and that what he was feeling wasn't just physical... and that maybe, just maybe, he _did_ regret giving her up...

"I need a drink," she mumbled as she walked towards the table.

Pouring what appeared to be an appetizing bowl of red punch into her cup, Serenity hastily gulped it down. The cool liquid soothed her sore throat and nerves somewhat, although for some reason it tasted much different than what she was normally accustomed to. 'I can't quite place the flavor though.' All she knew was that it tasted good, and made her more thirsty, so she poured herself another glass.

And another. And another. And another. And another. And before she knew it, the glass bowl was almost empty.

That's when things started to feel funny. Everything suddenly became blurry and her body started to feel strange. Her head started to feel light, and the murmurings and conversations around her started to blend into one incomprehensible mess. Serenity tried to take a step forward, but soon found that her legs were no longer under her control, as she grasped the side of the table for support. In fact, her whole body felt as if it wasn't under her control.

Grinning like an idiot, Serenity stumbled ungracefully away from the punch table. Whatever it was that she drank gave her a sense of a euphoric-like feeling. Her emotions fluctuated with every second. One minute she was as high as a kite, and the next she felt like bawling over the lack of punch. It was as if all the feelings inside of her that she kept bottled up inside took this opportune moment of her vulnerability and exploded out of her. For once in her entire life she felt completely free of constraints, like a bird who had just learned how to escape it's cage.

She fumbled her way through the crowds of people, she proceeded to bump and collide with people, unaware of their appalled and insulted stares. 'Where am I going? Who am I going to? Heee, it doesn't matter!'

Stopping in front of a plant, Serenity grinned, and grabbed a leaf with her hand. "Hello Mr. Plant! My name is Princess Serenity, hier to the Moon Kingdom! How do yooo dooo?" she greeted loudly, shaking the leaf vigorously until it snapped off. "Oh no! Mr. Plant! I killed you!"

Suddenly, an arm snatched out and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her to the side, away from the concentration of people. A pair of cool hands held onto her warm arms, shaking her gently. Staring intently at the person in front of her, Serenity's bottom lip trembled. "I killed Mr. Plant, pretty lady Alani!"

"Oh God. Please, please don't tell me you're drunk," Alani prayed, although the answer was staring her straight in the face. "How long was I gone?!"

Bawling on the spot, Serenity threw herself in Alani's arms. "I killed him! Help him, pleeeeasseee?" And with that, she collapsed in her arms, but still conscious. "Mmm, Alani pretty lady, you smell nice..." Holding the dead weight of the Princess, Alani groaned. This was not was she was expecting at all. How in the world could Serenity have gotten herself drunk?! Now she would have to deal with taking care of her--

Suddenly, an evil thought came to her head. 'Actually, maybe this turned out better than I thought it would.'

* * *

"She's _drunk_?!" Endymion shouted in disbelief, as Alani transferred the Princess' conscious yet intellectually unresponsive body into his arms. 

"I have _no_ clue how she got like that," Alani shook her head. "And when I asked her what she drank she replied, 'The sparkly drinks on the four legged wooden woody thing!' Then she proceeded to catch the 'sparkles' in the air, which was amusing, to say the least. Oh, and don't get me started on her funeral for Mr. Plant. Let's just say, you probably don't want to go out on the balcony for a while..."

Groaning, he adjusted Serenity's body in his arms slightly. How the hell did this happen? "I _just_ saw her and she was perfectly fine. Damnit, the idiot must have kept drinking the punch unaware that it was alcoholic..." Endymion looked down at her, completely perplexed by the idiocy and naivety of this one woman.

Serenity looked up at him, smiling cheerfully. "Prince! I didn't even know it was yooo..." Wrapping her arms around his waist, Serenity snuggled comfortably into his chest. "You feel so niceeeee..."

Body tensing from Serenity's sudden intimacy, Endymion looked at Alani in horror. She wasn't planning on leaving her with him, was she?! "No, Alani, _you_ take care of her!" There was no way, no way she was going to leave him in charge of a very, _very_ drunk and vulnerable Serenity. Did she even know the implications of doing so? It was hard enough to control himself around her normally, but now that she was throwing herself all over him like this? "Are you _trying_ to kill me, Alani?!"

She smiled innocently. "What ever do you mean, Endy?" she chimed. "Besides, as much as I'd _love_ to take her off your hands, I have to take care of your party!"

"What? I miss my own party?!"

"Oh, I'm sure you and the Princess can have your own party," she teased, innuendo dripping with every word. "Remember Endy, you may be the biggest womanizer I know, but taking advantage of an alcohol influenced girl is a new low, even for you!"

Endymion glared at her. "Hey! I'm not a womanizer! Besides, if you think I'll take advantage of her, _why_ in God's name are you giving her to me?!"

"Because dear Endy, I have faith in you. So take care of her, alright?! If she comes back impure, I'll kill you!" she threatened, hitting him on the head for emphasis.

As Alani disappeared into the distance, Endymion looked down at the girl in his arms. She was very well awake, but her glazed eyes told him that she was in a whole different world. "Look what you've gotten us into, idiot..."

She simply purred in his arms, pressing herself harder against him. "You feel really nice..." she whispered. Groaning, Endymion knew that if he didn't get her off him soon, he wouldn't be able to control himself any longer. Unhooking her arms from around his waist, he slipped his arm behind her legs and lifted her up in his arms. Serenity proceeded to nuzzle against his chest, but in this position it was a bit more bearable.

"Now, where can I bring you?" he asked aloud. When Alani had come to him with a drunkard Princess in her arms, she pulled them out into the hall to make things less conspicuous. Glancing down the hallway, Endymion sorted through his options. If he brought her to her room, he would have to stay with her the night to guarantee her well being. But if he wasn't in his room in the morning, people would surely ask questions. He couldn't bring her to Alani's room. If that was an option, she would have just brought Serenity herself to her room. This only left one option:

His bedroom.

But she would flat out _murder _him senseless if she woke up sober in his bed the next morning! That meant Endymion would have to bring her to her room sometime during the middle of the night, _without_ waking her. And at the same time, he would have to return unseen to his room. Groaning, he was suddenly realizing just how much trouble this was giving him.

Gritting his teeth, he grudgingly made his way to his bedroom. Tonight would definitely test the limits to his self-control, of lack there of.

* * *

Bringing Serenity to his bedroom posed less problems than he originally thought it would. Lucky for him, every single person who resided in the castle was partying away in the ballroom. Of course there were the occasional guards, but Endymion knew them well enough to be able to avoid them. But by the time he walked through his bedroom doors, he was out of breath. The Princess was a lightweight, but that wasn't what was tiring him out. 

What tired him out was having to deal with Serenity's fingers managing to unbutton the top of his shirt and brush against his hot skin.

Endymion didn't know what it was about alcohol that made women so forward and easy going. Here was the Princess of the Moon, practically throwing herself in his arms, when in real life it was much different. 'Although, I guess sometimes she _does_ throw herself at me... with a little provoke on my part, I suppose,' he smirked.

Setting her down gently on the bed, Endymion took a seat down next to her. Loosing his already loosened bow tie, he tossed it on the side of the bed, rubbing his aching neck. What in the world was he going to do with this girl? Rubbing his face with his hand, he glanced over curiously at Serenity's lying form.

She looked a lot smaller than the last time he saw her. Although she had not become stick thin, her frame was indeed much smaller. Her eyes were not fully closed, but instead they dropped down slightly, as she stared off into the distance. Her chest rose and fell in co-ordinance with her lungs, each time bringing his attention to her breasts. Gulping, Endymion quickly looked away as his body began to tense up again. This was such a bad idea on _so_ many levels.

But, there was a part of him that missed this. Although he missed kissing her, touching her, and just downright getting sweaty and dirty with her, he found himself missing other things: her smile, her laugh, teasing her, her pout, her angry face... the way she felt in his arms, the way she got so damn flustered every time he teased her... Soon, Endymion realized he didn't just miss her; he missed everything _about_ her.

If that were true, then things between them were never _just_ physical. At least, not on his part, anyways. What did that mean? Did he love her? Did he have feelings for her? But how could he allow himself to fall in love with a Moonling, especially after years of bearing such hatred towards them? Yet, for some reason, when he was with Serenity... all of the hate, all of the anger... it disappeared. All he could think about... was her.

"Prince...?" Serenity whispered loud enough for him to hear.

Without turning his head, Endymion replied. "Y-yeah?"

"Are... are you nervous... that I'm here... with you... like this?" she asked, pausing in between breaths.

Gulping, Endymion suddenly felt the room warm up. "N-no, of course not..." he answered.

"You're not nervous at all...?" she asked again.

Shaking his head hastily, Endymion croaked. "N-nope!"

The bed shifted, as Serenity sat upright suddenly. "Good. Then can you help me out of my dress?" she asked with innocence in her voice.

Jumping back, Endymion almost threw himself off the bed when he heard her say that. "Are you insane?! You're trying to kill me, aren't you?!"

Pouting, Serenity tried to reach behind her back. "I can't reach it! And I'm not going to sleep in this pretty dress!" she complained, while standing up from the bed.

Gritting his teeth, Endymion knew there was no way out of this. Even if he could get Alani, she made it clear she wasn't going to help him. It was more painful to argue with Serenity, anyways. As his hands reached out to the back of her dress, he noticed they were shaking uncontrollably. 'I can't believe it! I'm acting like a teenager boy!' He was bloody Prince Endymion! Be damned it, he _was _a womanizer. Undressing women was his forte. Why... why in the world was he nervous now? Why with her? Trying to get a grip of his senses, he tried to calm down his hands, but they continued to tremor as he grasped onto her zipper.

Her creamy skin came into view as he pulled down the zipper slowly. The curve of her back teased his eyes, as he reached the bottom of her zipper trail. He felt his mouth suddenly lack moisture, as that painful desire began to rumble in the pits of his stomach, and in his pants. A desire that had been deprived for almost two, long weeks...

Glancing innocently over her shoulder, Serenity smiled. "Thank you."

Unable to hide his embarrassment, Endymion turned around. "I'll find you something to wear in the meantime," he spoke as fast as he could, storming off to his dressers. Pulling out a white dress shirt, Endymion knew his shorts or pants would definitely not fit her. Sighing, he realized it would have been better if she had stayed in her dress.

"Here, this is all I have at the momen—Holy shit!" He swore, as he turned around to hand her the shirt. However, upon immediately looking up, Endymion threw himself backwards, hitting the dresser painfully. But that paled in comparison to the pain he felt in his gut when he saw what he saw in front of him...

Dress pooled along the floor, Serenity stood directly in front of him in all her glory in nothing but black, satin underwear, and a skin coloured strapless bra. Although he had once see her breasts before, he had never.. _never_ seen so much skin of hers...

His heart thrashed against his chest, his body dripped in sweat, and that all too familiar strain in his pants appeared as his eyes took in every inch of this Goddess-like body. His mouth went absolutely dry, as he licked his lips with hunger. With a well kept figure, supple breasts, and legs that went on for miles... it was almost as if she were a perfectly, sculpted piece of artwork, just dangling like bait in front of him. It was hard to keep his hands off her when she was clothed, and now that she was practically naked in front of him... Endymion felt as if he were going to explode in his pants. 'She's.. so fucking beautiful...!'

"Thank you," she smiled sweetly, taking the shirt from his hands. Throwing it over her head, she ran her arms through the proper sleeves, and pulled it down over her body. The shirt dropped to her knees, and the sleeves ran past her arms, but all in all it was comfortable.

His jaw dropped. Was she intentionally trying to seduce him? How did she make putting a shirt on so incredibly erotic? Plus, she looked adorable in his shirt, her tiny body being consumed by the large cotton cloth. Turning away from her, Endymion held onto the dresser in front of him with a deathly grip. Relieved that she was finally covered up, at the same time he felt a lingering feeling of disappointment. Gaining his lost breath, Endymion clenched his eyes shut, hoping to remove the image from his brain, however, it was forever engraved in the depths of his memory. When he went to sleep, _that_ is what he would see. When he woke up, _that's_ what he'd see. "Damn you Alani..." he cursed, slamming his fist on the wood beneath him.

"Prince?"

"What?" he growled angrily, clenching his teeth.

"Let's play a game!" Serenity suggested cheerfully, clasping her hands together.

'Oh yeah, she's definitely drunk,' Endymion shook his head. "I'm not going play a game with you, Serenity."

She pouted. "Why not?"

'Because I'm teetering on the edge of taking advantage you, you moron!"

"What?" she asked innocently.

Groaning, Endymion hung his head in defeat. "Fine. What do you want to play?"

Tapping her finger on her chin, Serenity pondered. "Hmm.. Oh! I know! Let's play truth or dare!"

Scoffing, Endymion turned around. "What are you, twelve?"

Giggling, Serenity took his hand in hers. "If I was twelve, we'd _definitely_ be in trouble," she said with a wink.

"Now I _know_ you're drunk," Endymion mumbled, as she lead him towards the bed. Both sitting on the edge, Endymion made sure to leave a big enough distance between the two. Especially after the fiasco that just happened, he didn't know how much longer his control would hold out.

"You go first," Serenity chimed, patting his knee gently.

"Fine. Truth or dare?" he asked, lacking enthusiasm.

"Dare," she answered, smiling at him suggestively.

"I dare you... to be quiet for the rest of the night, and go to bed, right now," he posed with complete seriousness.

Serenity moaned, pouting at him. "That's _boring_! I pick truth," she mumbled.

He focused on her lip protruding towards him. "Fine. Are you honestly trying to kill me?" he breathed, rubbing his aching temples.

Shaking her head, Serenity leaned in closer. "No, Prince. I'm _honestly_ just trying to _seduce_ you," she whispered lustfully.

Endymion strained harder against his pants. Did he just hear her properly?

"Now, Prince, my turn," she announced, bringing her face close to his. With her lips just dancing above the skin of his ears, Serenity whispered as sexily as she could. "Truth... or dare?" She asked, while placing a hand on his thigh.

Closing his eyes, Endymion stiffened at the touch of her hand on him, and the feeling of her warm breath on his ear. She was doing exactly what he had done to her two weeks ago! 'You God damned minx...!' "Truth," he answered, voice crackling.

"Are you in love with me, Prince?"

"D-dare!" he changed his mind, not wanting to even think about what she just said.

Serenity's lips pursed into a mischievous smile. He was completely unaware of the dangerous water he was treading on when he said 'Dare.' "Alright then. I dare you..." she paused to nibble gently on his earlobe, running her tongue over it. Her hand took his in hers and placed it on her breast. Endymion hissed as his hand came into contact with it, his entire body became stone. She was looking at him with an incredible amount of lust and desire that he had never seen in her before. Was this really the innocent, fiesty, naïve Princess Serenity he had come to know?

"Serenity..." he groaned, not being able to remove his hand from it's spot.

Smiling mischievously, Serenity drew herself closer to him. Pressing her body against his, she whispered quietly into his ear. "I dare you Prince, to make love to me, right here on your bed..."


	11. Chapter 10

**Prisoner of His Heart  
**Written by: Odango Atama

This chapter... gets quite raunchy. Really raunchy, actually. I edited quite a lot out, so again, if you want to read the original version, head over to the Destiny's Archive to find it there. For those who are wondering, in the next few chapters the plot will continue and more things will be revealed, so until then, just enjoy this smut. I try to keep my chapters below 15 pages, and so if I continued this chapter, it would just be endless. So enjoy, and leave a review if you'd like!

* * *

He must have been dreaming. Sometime during the party, he must have hit his head and was knocked unconscious. He must have been lying on his back in the middle of the dance floor surrounded by thousands of people, dreaming that all of this was happening...

Otherwise, why in the world would the Princess of the Moon ask—no, _dare _him to make love to her?

That was the only possible reason that made sense. Although logic was rarely a factor when it concerned the Princess, this was _beyond_ irrational. Serenity, clearly under the alcoholic influence which made her judgment _unbelievably _cloudy, was treading on dangerous waters. Albeit, if this were under different circumstances, there would be nothing stopping him from throwing her onto his bed and fulfill her dare in every sense of the word possible.

However, this was so different from the times he had touched her before—his hand alone, simply by just resting there, was an act of violation of her dignity in every sense. Yes, he was a womanizer, but taking advantage of a drunk girl was, like Alani said, a whole new low. Especially since this "drunk girl" happened to be Serenity. If he did anything to her, if he gave into her request, it would be no different from rape.

But he was human, and even worse, he was a man. As much as he knew inside how wrong it would be, that didn't mean his body felt the same way. His thumb, millimeters away from her nipple wanted no more than to graze over it and send her into a throe of ecstasy. God, how he wanted to touch her! Especially since she was looking at him so hungrily. Her rosy lips curled into a playful smile, which only made it worse for him. Endymion was hanging desperately onto his last thread—if she did anything else, whether it be a look, touch, or even a sentence, he didn't know if he could hold himself back anymore.

"Just kidding, Prince!" Serenity suddenly shouted, her lips curled into a smile as she broke out into a fit of giggles.

Eyebrows shooting upwards to his hairline, Endymion's mouth hung wide open as if it detached from his jaw. Did he hear her right? She was _kidding_?! She was playing with him this whole time?! _"_You... you were kidding?!" he shouted angrily. All of a sudden an urge to strangle the life out of this Moonling washed over him.

Casually pulling his hand off her breast, Serenity laughed again. "Of course! I thought it was pretty obvious."

"Obvious?!" At that point, he really wanted to strangle her. Badly.

"Of course! Why in the world would I be serious about something like--" Finally realizing the reason to his reaction, Serenity's hand flew up to her mouth as a gasp escaped her mouth. "Don't tell me you actually believed me?"

Endymion propelled himself off the bed in a fury. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to kill the woman, or knock her out senseless with a large object. All of that unnecessary tension, frustration and confusion she had just caused him—all for the sake of a prank?!

Serenity tilted her head inquisitively. "You're not mad, are you?"

"Of course I'm mad, you stupid woman!" he yelled over his shoulder. "You were throwing yourself at me this whole night!"

"Well, yeah, I'm drunk," she stated, staggering slightly. "Anything I say shouldn't be taken seriously."

"You don't know how much frustration you just put me through, and what for? Nothing! I had to keep telling myself that you are under the influence, but the way you just kept coming onto me..." Endymion rubbed his hand aggravatingly against his face. "God, sometimes you're just more trouble than you're worth--"

"Would you have done it?" she cut in, looking up at him wide eyed.

Glancing back at her, Endymion furrowed his brow. "What?"

"If I was serious... would you have done it?" Serenity repeated.

"What's with that question all of a sudden?"

"Consider it my 'Truth' question to you."

Shaking his head, he had completely forgotten about that, which was odd since that was the source of all this trouble. "Of course not," he replied, gritting his teeth. Somehow that felt like a complete lie.

Serenity glared up at him with annoyance. "Why not?!" she demanded, anger in her voice.

He was taken back by her reaction, not expecting to hear that type of response. Why was she reacting so negatively? "Because you nitwit, it's _wrong._ And why are you getting angry?"

"It's because you're not attracted to me anymore, isn't it?"

Endymion looked back at her again and remained silent for a few seconds before he threw his head back laughing. It seemed appropriate, since her statement alone was dripping with comedic value. Her question seemed more like a plea to him, for some reason.

It was Serenity's turn to ask the question. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because, you're more stupid than I thought you were," he cried, wiping a tear that had fallen from his eye. "Me—not attracted to you anymore... God, if you only knew the truth to that," he mused, trying his best to stop his laughter that bellowed out his mouth.

"And what is that...?" she softly asked as she stood up from the bed.

"Well, Princess, the fact is that I'm so _unbelievably _attracted to you, that I would want nothing more than to throw you onto that bed and ravage you repeatedly in my own sheets." Endymion wondered why he was telling her these things. Perhaps deep down he wanted to tell her, and he wanted her to know how he felt. Or maybe it's because he knew there was a big chance she wouldn't remember a thing he said or did the next morning, which was definitely a good thing.

And so, he continued. "In fact, the only thing stopping me right now is that you are so deliriously drunk and that if I did make love to you, I'd be taking advantage of you completely and that is something I would never want to do to you..." His voice trailed off as he caught Serenity's eyes on him. She was looking at him like she was a few minutes ago—her eyes flickered and blazed with hunger, and desire all concentrated on one thing: him.

He gulped nervously. If she was just joking before, was she being serious now?

"Why wouldn't you want to take advantage of me?" Serenity questioned, moving slowly towards him, never taking her eyes off.

Endymion remained frozen in place as her body began to close the distance between them. Soon, she was only a thread's length away that a simply inhalation on either one of their ends would bring the desired contact of their skins together. With his hands clenched at his sides, he desperately fought the urge to wrap them around her body. But why, God almighty why, was she looking at him like that?

"B-because... it's wrong," he replied, unable to look away

"No, that wouldn't stop a womanizer like you," Serenity retaliated, shaking her head. "Tell me the _truth_, Prince. Why wouldn't you want to take advantage of me?"

Ignoring the fact that she just called him a womanizer, Endymion realized there was something about this girl that always somehow found a way to break down every line of defense he put up. He couldn't keep anything from her, even when he tried his best. She'd always find some way to break him down, without even lifting a single finger. All she had to do was bat an eyelash, shimmy her hips, and look at him exactly the same way she was looking at him right now. In actuality, he was absolutely helpless against her.

Exhaling, Endymion's shoulders relaxed as he looked away from her penetrating stare. He didn't want to see the look on her face when answered her. "Because... I care about you," he breathed, making sure to avoid her eyes as much as he could. Yet he could still _feel_ her reaction.

Serenity stiffened from shock by what he had said. After a moment of letting his words sink in, her facial expression softened greatly. "You care... about me?" she repeated, replaying the words inside her head over and over again.

Scratching the back of his head, Endymion squinted. "Let's not try to make a big deal of this. I don't quite know the full extent of things, but I do know that I care about you enough to not take advantage of you like this, so I think it would be best that we just call tonight off and stay far away from each other as possib--"

His words were cut short when Serenity reeled him in by his shirt lapels and silenced him with her lips.

Endymion's eyes shot wide open when her lips claimed his. The alarms started to go off in his head as his mind urged him to pull her off and stop this. 'Weren't you just saying how you care about her too much to take advantage of her? What do you think you're doing now, you idiot?!' All it took was a shove, a gentle shove and this would all end.

But she felt so damn good. Her lips were just pressed up against his, and they felt absolutely delicious. He was fighting hard not to groan, otherwise he'd show her just how much pleasure she gave him just by a simple brush of the lips. Instead, his hands latched onto her arms. Whether it was a sign of protest or merely just his urge to touch her, Endymion held onto her tightly.

Serenity was definitely taking her time with him. She moved against his lips lightly and tentatively, simply just enjoying the feel of their skin brushing against each other. Eventually, she ran her tongue carefully along the bottom of his lip. Unable to suppress his groan, Endymion shut his eyes, relishing in the overload of sensations he was feeling. The girl hadn't even entered his mouth, and he was in heaven! God, her kisses felt so wonderful...

Oh boy, he was definitely losing the battle. Virtually, he was not responding to her kiss, but any minute longer he would definitely lose control. 'I have to stop this, I need to stop this.' "Sere--"

Unfortunately, opening his mouth was his downfall, as Serenity decided to take that opportune moment to slip in her tongue past his lips and into his mouth.

That one motion triggered two week's worth of sexual deprivation—the dam which had held him back collapsed in front of him. From then on, Endymion was no longer able to control his emotions or even listen to his conscience. He was going to have her, consequences be damned!

Hormones rushing through his veins, Endymion's arms hastily wrapped around her petite body, crushing her into him. He immediately responded to her kiss by tilting his head to deepen it. He kissed her hard and passionately, as his tongue entered her mouth treating her in the same fashion as she had done moments before. Caught by surprise, Serenity squealed from his sudden invasion. Arms wrapping around his neck, Serenity tilted her head further to get better access to his mouth as their mouths clung to each other in desperate need.

It had been two weeks since he last tasted the Moon Princess, yet it all felt so strangely virginal to him. Her taste felt so foreign to him, yet at the same time it sparked some sort of nostalgic feeling in the back of his mind. She tasted like an alluring mix of cherries and alcohol; sweet, delicious, yet dangerously intoxicating. It felt like he was literally, getting drunk off her kiss.

Hands running up and down her frame, Endymion frantically tried to explore every inch of her heavenly body as much he could, while at the same time trying to devour her senselessly. His entire body exploded with pleasure as his tongue passionately attacked hers, massaging it, and lapping against it in her mouth. As his hands ran down the sides of her body and along the sides of her breasts, he felt her jump in response, which only excited him further.

Serenity moaned into his mouth, as her fingers interlaced behind his neck pulling his face and lips harder onto hers. Her leg snaked around his waist, grinding his hips into hers. Grunting, Endymion responded by grasping her behind firmly and pressing it harder against his hips. "Unnh!" she whimpered against his lips, as the unexpected jolt of pleasure ran through her center. She could feel him hard already, stabbing at her inner thigh, which only fueled her desire for him even more. Both of them were clearly past the point of no return, and past the point of just kissing. They wanted more and more of each other, as Endymion stated before, consequences be _damned_.

With a small jump, Serenity propped her legs off the floor and wrapped them quickly around his waist while using his neck as a form of support. Since his hands were already in place, Endymion reacted quick enough to prevent them from toppling over. With the Princess straddling him like this, he could feel her crushed breasts against his chest, and her warm heat on top of his aching member, which sent him even more into a frenzy. This girl was someday going to be the death of him!

With the Princess in his arms, Endymion inched towards the bed, immediately falling forward when his knees bumped the side. Gently laying the Princess down without interlocking any of their latched body parts, he moved in close enough so that his knees and arms were on the bed. His arms no longer needing to support her weight continued their venture up and down her body, paying certain attention to her aching breasts. Pulling her lips away from his to catch a breather, Serenity moaned wholeheartedly while clinging onto his shoulders tightly. His lips attacked the skin of her neck as his hand found it's former position on her left breast, his thumb rubbing her nipple gently which immediately grew hard beneath him. "Endymion!" she gasped in ecstasy.

Smirking, Endymion wondered how long it had been since he heard her call his name like that. 'It's been too long, that's for sure.' No longer satisfied by the skin of her neck, he moved up her body and returned his lips onto hers while his finger continued to fondle her incredibly sensitive nipple. Every stroke, every touch threw her into a complete frenzy. Each time, she would buck vigorously against his hips, driving his strained erection further and further into her clothed warmth.

Serenity's hands slowly traveled down from the base of his neck and down his shoulders. Endymion pulled away briefly to remove his tuxedo jacket, before he returned back to his hasty kisses. Her hands continued down his body until they reached the zipper of his pants. While one hand focused on undoing his fly, the other gently cupped his erection. Endymion hissed as her hand touched his sensitive area. He hadn't expected her to do that so quickly. 'Since when was she so forward like that? She was never this forward...' he wondered.

The reality of the situation suddenly dawned upon him. 'That's because she's drunk, you fucking idiot!'

"Shit!" he cursed, as he literally had to rip himself away from the Princess. Serenity whimpered in protest as the cold air rushed over her body, which only made Endymion want her even more. 'No, no! Just don't look at her!' Scrambling off the bed as fast as he could, Endymion stumbled off the bed and paced himself away from the Princess as far as possible. His lips ached and his erection was throbbing painfully against his pants, as the feeling of discomfort and yearning washed over him. 'I can't believe I let it get that far! God damnit, I'm such an idiot...!'

Bringing a hand to his mouth, he could still feel the Princess' lips on his. He could still feel her tongue against his, and her hips rocking gently against him. Groaning with even more frustration, Endymion held onto his head with his hands. This whole night was an entire mess! And it was his bloody birthday for crying out loud—shouldn't today be the day he was given a break for once?!

"P-prince?" Serenity called weakly from behind. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay!" he responded hastily. "I almost violated you! No, I _did_ violate you...! Fuck, I'm an idiot...!"

"But... you didn't violate me. I wanted... I wanted you to do that... I kissed you first..."

"You might be saying that now, but come morning, my guards are going to come in and find my dead body on the ground. You'll probably still kill me after what I just did..."

"After what _I _just did," she corrected, preparing to move off the bed.

Hearing the springs of the bed move, Endymion spun around with his arm extended. "Don't, move! Just... just stay where you are," he ordered. He couldn't have her out and about and start this whole mess again. "Look, you may have started it, but I sure as hell continued it. I can't... I can't do that to you. I can't do anything to you, Serenity. Even if this is my only chance to be with you like this, I can't do it. I'm sorry."

Not wanting to see how she would react, Endymion grabbed a nearby chair and took a seat as he felt his legs nearly give out. Rubbing his throbbing forehead with his fingers, he sighed wearily. He just wanted to get through this night without having to worry about his life being in danger the next morning. His entire body felt so uncomfortable and unsatisfied, that Endymion didn't know if he would even be able to sleep at night. Shutting his eyes closed, Endymion tried frantically to block out the distress he was feeling. How could one girl bring so much trouble to him, _consistently_?

Little did he know, things were about to get worse.

"Prince...?"

Opening his eyes in the direction of the voice, Endymion was surprised to see Serenity up so close. Standing in front of him, the strands of her hair were falling messily from her contorted buns. She nibbled on her thumb with the most innocent expression on her face. Almost instinctively, his body tensed. "Yes?"

"I didn't realize how much stress and trouble I was giving you... I'm sorry," she apologized as her lower lip protruded into a pout.

He laughed satirically. Only an alcohol influenced Princess Serenity would ever succumb to him by apologizing. But maybe now she finally understood the situation. Maybe now, she'd actually sit tight and let him sleep...

"I feel really bad. I mean, it's your birthday and everything, and here you are taking care of me so nicely. I think I should make it up to you."

Sighing, Endymion shook his head. "That's not necessary. You shouldn't be apologizing for anything. Really, I'll be fine--" He paused when he watched Serenity fall down to her knees in front of him. She wasn't going to _beg_ for forgiveness, was she? 'Then why else would she be on her knees--'

His eyes widened in horror. "No, Serenity!"

Just as he was about to bolt up from the chair, Serenity quickly moved forward and stopped him with her arm. "It's just like you said, Prince. You can't do anything to me, right? I, on the other hand," Her hand reached forward and cupped his erection beneath his pants in a similar fashion as she did a few moments ago, causing Endymion to gasp helplessly in his seat. "I, can do _anything_ I want to _you_."

Before he could do or say anything, Serenity's hand had already undid his pant button and had reached inside.

"Holy crap...!" Clenching his eyes shut, Endymion gripped tightly onto the handles of the chair. This couldn't be happening! Pure, innocent and virginal Princess Serenity just couldn't be on her knees in front of him, getting ready to do... getting ready to...! He groaned with pleasure and relief when she pulled him out of his underwear, finally freeing him of his restraints. If he was going to escape out of this, it had to be now, before he lost all of his self control!

But if her kisses felt wonderful, then her hand felt bloody heavenly! It wasn't even moving, and he was nearly about ready to explode right there. It was a glorious reminder of the first time she did this to him. But no, now was not the time to think about that. Now was the time to pull her away and run, run as far as he could!

Then of course, her hand started to glide up and down along his member in a slow, tedious, and torturous motion. Clenching his eyes, Endymion couldn't believe how amazing her hands felt around him. Slightly cold to the touch, each stroke sent him into a painful, yet glorious state of euphoria. Just like she had done to him that night in the storage closet, she took her time working him up into a frenzied, delirious state. He was absolutely, utterly, entirely helpless against her.

No longer experimenting like she did before, Serenity knew his sensitive areas. She knew what he liked, where he liked it, and how he liked it. Thus, each stroke made it harder and harder to try and stop her. "S-serenity," Endymion pleaded while gasping for air. "You... you have... to stop..."

The Moon Princess looked up at him and tilted her head. "Hmm? Go faster?"

"N-no, you--!" Endymion nearly jumped right off the chair when her hand started to stroke him harder and faster. Gripping as hard as he could onto the handles of the chair, Endymion clenched his eyes as she propelled him off the edge of pleasure. All that desire, all that hunger, all that lust inside of him continued to build up inside of him which drove him crazy. He was soaring into that state of bliss at an alarming speed, that it only be a few more moments before he came. Groaning, Endymion knew the longer he let this continue, the more and more difficult it would be to pull away. In fact, he didn't even know if he could even do that right now. She just made him feel so bloody wonderful...

Even though what Serenity said did make sense, Endymion knew it wouldn't matter in the morning. Even if he was tied down, roped up and couldn't move, it would still somehow be _his_ fault. This was simply just another form of taking advantage of her. Summoning all the strength he had left, Endymion looked down and begged to the Princess. "P-please.. you have to stop... I'm... I'm going to..." Serenity's hand stopped, as she lifted her head to look at him. Staring him straight into his eyes, Endymion wondered if he had somehow finally gotten through to her.

That's when he saw the blaze in her eyes; the passionate flames that burned inside of her. Flickering with such strength and intensity, it was almost as if she was more turned on by this act than he was... Suddenly, Serenity moved forward.

Endymion froze completely when she boldly took him into her mouth.

He wasn't sure how to describe how it felt. Never in the short time that they knew each other had he even _thought_ of her holding his most intimate body part in her mouth. It just didn't seem right to picture the Princess doing that to him. Although they had run into intimate situations before, not once did Endymion even think of suggesting or trying oral stimulation. For some reason with Serenity, if something like that _were_ to happen, he imagined it would be farther into the future. It was strange... he never thought like that with anyone else he was with...

But there she was. Head bobbing in between his legs. Endymion felt like he was going to explode right there. If her hand felt wonderful, then her mouth felt unbelievably _amazing_! It sent him to a new state of pleasure. Body dripping with sweat, skin burning, loins aching; his entire body felt like it was on fire; and he loved it.

Closing his eyes, Endymion leaned his head against the back of the chair. The sheer sight alone of her doing this to him was enough to make him come right there. If there was no more turning back, he might as well make the most of the situation. Endymion tried as hard as he could to not thrust into her mouth, even though his hips were begging to. He didn't want to scare her since he knew this was probably her first time doing this.

Everything about this felt so incredibly amazing. It was as if all the stress, all the anger, all the troubles he felt were lifted away, replaced by an undeniably, world shattering state of bliss. Unable to fight the urge, his hands flew to her head, and ran throughout her hair. "Oh God, Serenity," he moaned deliriously.

Endymion unconsciously found himself bucking his hips gently into her mouth. Realizing that Serenity was accommodating to this, he didn't stop himself—not that he could. Placing his hands at the sides of her head, he thrust carefully into her mouth, seeking that exquisite friction of her lips around him, and the further warm depths of her mouth. So engrossed in the act, he didn't even notice he was moaning and grunting so loudly and intensely.

Although it frightened her initially, Serenity eventually got used to it. The more Endymion did it, the more and louder he moaned, which excited Serenity to no end. So, she tried her best to keep up with his demands as he thrust into her.

At this point, Endymion was starting to become painfully aware of the pressure building up in his libido, as his state of pleasure skyrocketed into new heights. The louder he moaned, the faster she moved, which made him moan even louder, which then made her move even faster, sending them into a never ending circle. Peeking down at her, he still couldn't believe she was doing this to him. Clenching his eyes, Endymion knew the pleasure was starting to become unbearable which only meant he was so incredibly close to coming. Just a few more strokes, and it was over.

"Serenity...?" He called, almost inaudible.

"Mmmm?" Her voice was muffled since she didn't even bother stopping.

"I'm.. I'm going to come..."

"Mmmmhmmm."

Endymion gritted his teeth. He was close, and he knew she wasn't going to stop. He let her continue for a few more seconds, but after that he knew this time he had to pull away. Gathering all the self control and strength that he had left in his body, he placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her backwards, pulling her off him just moments before he orgasmed.

With a similar feeling to that of a volcanic eruption, Endymion raised his hips slightly off the chair. It was as if all the tension, all the stress, all the sexual frustration that he felt the past two weeks flowed out of his body in that one moment of rapture. His entire body exploded with waves of pleasure as he released his seed onto her, thankful that he managed to pull her off in time so that he wasn't releasing _into_ her.

Riding out the last momentum of his orgasm, Endymion slumped back into his chair. Staring blankly up at the ceiling in front of him, he began to catch his breath again. His mind blank and hazy, Endymion wondered if all of this really did happen. Did Serenity actually... was she really just... did she really... ? As his thoughts slowly returned, Endymion lifted a weary eye and glanced ahead at the Princess.

With the most bewildered look on her face, the Princess looked as perplexed as a kitten who had just fallen into a bowl of milk from leaning in too far. Serenity looked down at her chest, surprised to see traces of a mysterious sticky substance.

Chuckling, Endymion tucked himself back into his pants. Pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket, Endymion leaned forward in his chair. "Sorry, Princess... I didn't mean to get you like that," he apologized, as he wiped her neck and chest clean.

"No, it's alright... I just wasn't expecting it, that's all." Serenity smiled up at him. "Do you feel better now?"

Oddly enough, he did. Maybe it was the after effects of the mind shattering orgasm he just had, but yes, he did feel better. "Yes. Of course, it won't matter since I'll be dead tomorrow, but yeah, I feel better."

"Don't worry, I won't kill you. I was the one who took advantage of _you_, remember?"

Standing up, Endymion extended her hand to help her up. He found absolute no comfort in his words. "Yeah, that's what I'll tell everyone what I did tonight," he joked as he pulled her off the floor.

What was done was done. As much as he wanted to believe it was all Serenity's doing, he _let_ her, which wasn't as bad, but was still a reason for her to murder him the next day. He did try to stop her, but he could have tried harder. Sighing, Endymion knew there was no use in wallowing in his guilt. He'd just have to deal with it in the morning. "Look, now that you have all that out of your system, can you please just go to sleep now?"

Nodding, Serenity smiled. "Okay."

"Thank God," Endymion breathed, relieved that she finally decided to listen to him.

"But... could you do me one favor?"

He flinched. Perhaps he wasn't out of the running just yet. "What?" he asked nervously.

"Could you tell me a story before I sleep?"

A story? Endymion laughed. At least she wasn't asking him to do anything crazy anymore. "God, you really are a twelve year old, aren't you?" Unable to deny her anymore, Endymion turned around to grab the chair behind him. Bringing it to the side of the bed, he took a seat as Serenity jumped beneath his covers. "Alright, what story do you want to hear?"

"It doesn't have to be a story... I just, I just want to hear you talk," she replied, smiling at him.

"Okay..." Endymion sighed, leaning back in his chair. For some reason the tone of her voice seemed awfully suspicious. "What do you want me to say?"

Shifting beneath the covers, Serenity looked up at the ceiling. "I don't know. How about... tell me... tell me what you think, about me."

He laughed sardonically. "I knew there was some trick to this." 'Might as well play along. The odds are she won't remember any of what I say in the morning... hopefully.' "Alright, what do you want to know?"

"Do you think I'm pretty?"

Endymion leaned his head back against the chair, closing his eyes. "Yeah, I guess."

"Do you think about me a lot?"

"All the time," he found himself saying.

"Did you... did you like what I just did to you?"

"Fucking loved it."

She giggled. "Do... do you dream about doing things like that to me...?"

He noticed her voice was becoming more shallow. Shifting in his seat, Endymion felt the waves of sleep start to wash over him. "You know I do."

"Did you miss me... in these two weeks?"

"More than you know."

"Do... do you... do you... l... like me?"

Exhaling deeply, Endymion folded his hands across his stomach. "Who knows? Maybe I do. Maybe I don't. I wish I could answer that, Serenity, but I have no clue myself..."

"What... what do you feel... when... when... you're... you're... with me...?"

That was an odd question. What did he feel when he was with her? "A range of emotions, that's for sure." Anger, sadness, joy, rapture, happiness, jealousy... every emotion possible, he must have felt it one time or another towards her.

But that wasn't the answer she wanted, and that wasn't the answer he wanted to give. "When I'm with you, I feel..." His brow furrowed as her question replayed in his mind. What _did_ he feel when he was with her? Although he felt a variation of emotions towards her, there was one particular type that he felt in a great amount. Opening his eyes, Endymion focused on the ceiling above him. 'Just say whatever is on your mind,' he told himself.

He took a deep breath. "I feel... like a different person," he stated. "When I'm with you, something inside of me changes."

"...like.. what?"

"It's like all of a sudden, something inside of me pushes me, motivates me... it.. it makes me want to be a better person..."

At the same time he was saying it, Endymion was realizing the truth to his words. Sighing, Endymion sat up in his chair, staring down at the floor beneath him. "I've lived a good portion of my life hating a lot of people... mainly your people, but that's besides the point. I was always filled with anger and hatred, that nothing else really mattered to me. I'm not a man who lets go—I'm stubborn and proud as hell. Alani knew it. I was obsessed with getting rid of her father, I was obsessed with getting revenge, and anything that would make me more powerful than I already was."

Before he met Serenity, revenge was always on his mind. Even with Alani, there was somewhere in his mind where he wanted to reek havoc on his enemies. It consumed his mind and actions completely. But now, for some reason, it wasn't on his mind nearly as much as it was before. In fact, it was never on his mind. Only when forced to, or during the moments where she was absent, did he embrace his need for justice. This never occurred to him until now.

"But for some reason, when I'm with you, for the first time in my life, all that hatred, all that hate, all that anger... disappears. It's like... it's like..." He paused, unable to think of the proper feeling. Glancing up at her from beneath his lashes, Endymion's lips curled into a smile, as the right words came to him. "...all I can think about is you."

Leaning back in the chair again, Endymion slumped. "What does that mean? Do I love you? Do I have feelings for you? I really, honestly don't know. But that's how I feel when I'm with you. I feel... happy, energetic..." Endymion paused. "Well, I guess you do make me angry sometimes... and frustrated... and annoyed, and pissed off, and aggravated..."

Glancing at her again, he smiled. "But that's what I love. You keep me on my feet all the time. I want to be around you all the time, that I can't stand not having you around. Whether or not I'm in love with you right now is besides the point. What matters is that for the first time in my life... for the first time..."

For the first time in his life, he what? It wasn't the first time he's fallen in love, that's for sure. But that wasn't what he was trying to say. Then what was he trying to say? "...for the first time I..." Endymion scratched his head in annoyance. 'What in the world am I trying to say to her?'

Their times together replayed in his head. Their first meeting, their first time in the dungeon, the time in the kitchen, the library, having her as an assistant, the storage closet... all leading up to the painful break up in the living room. Endymion knew he had feelings for her, he just didn't know what. He only knew what they could be... what they should be... what he wanted them to be...

And then it hit him. What made being with Serenity more special than the rest. Because for the first time in his life...

"...I _want_ to fall in love with you." Satisfied with his answer, Endymion smiled. "Love happens all the time. It happens when when we don't even think about it. It happens unexpectedly and unwillingly. Usually we are helpless and unable to pick those we fall in love with... but Serenity... for the first time...you make me _want _to fall in love with you."

Suddenly, the sound of a long, drawled out moan filled the room. With her back and hips arched off the bed, Serenity clenched her eyes as her body convulsed gently. "Endymion...!" she gasped, before collapsing back onto the bed.

Mouth wide open, Endymion stared at her blankly. What in the world had just happened? 'She didn't just... did she?' Reaching forward, he pulled the covers off her body.

With her hand beneath her panties and a hand beneath her shirt, Serenity breathed heavily, as she closed her eyes.

His mouth went dry. Right in front of him, without him knowing, right on his bed... Serenity had just orgasmed!

He immediately became hard again. Groaning, Endymion hung his head in annoyance. Here he was opening herself up to him, and she used it to get herself off?! "You idiot," he spat, glaring down at her. "You didn't hear a word I said, did you?!"

Clearly in the thrall of sleep, Serenity remained unresponsive. Removing her hands from their areas, Serenity turned on her side and curled her body. Her sleeping form was not something he could be mad at, at least not now. Covering her body up properly with the covers, Endymion sighed. This girl was really going to be the death of him, one day. Bending over, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Good night, Serenity."

Smiling, Endymion sat back down in his chair. Pulling the blanket over the side of the bed to cover him as well, Endymion rested his head back comfortably. Maybe now, for once, he would be able to get a good night's rest...

* * *

Serenity didn't quite know how to describe how she felt upon waking up the next morning. First of all, her head felt like someone had smashed a punch bowl over it. Repeatedly. Secondly, her stomach made her want to swear off food entirely, and throw up the remains that were still in her body.

Thirdly, but most of all, she didn't remember her bed being this big. Or comfortable. In fact, she didn't even remember her room looking at all like the one she woke up. Was this even her room in the first place?

Her first attempt to get up was shot down when a wave of nausea hit her. 'Okay, bad idea.' Deciding it would be best to just sit still for a few more minutes, Serenity closed her eyes as she let the sickness pass. Why did she feel so horrible? What in the world happened last night?

All that she could remember was going to that party thinking she was helping Alani, only to find herself falling in yet another one of her traps. She remembered wandering around looking for Alani, when she came across someone else... the Prince.

He stood proudly in front of her, talking to people so comfortably. The Prince looked absolutely handsome in his tuxedo, and the white mask he wore gave him a touch of elegance and mysteriousness. Serenity remembered the blush that fell upon her cheeks when she first saw him that night. She remembered wanting to go up to him, talk to him, and hold him close to her...

Then she remembered what had happened two weeks ago. They weren't supposed to see each other.

So she fled.

And he chased her.

And she fled again.

"But what happened after that?" she asked aloud, placing a hand on her warm forehead. This room was definitely not hers. It was a lot bigger, and unfortunately a lot brighter, which was not doing so well with her retinas at the moment. 'Argh, my head feels like it's splitting in two...' Plus, her stomach was craving incredibly for food. Rubbing her side, Serenity prayed that this sickness would go away so she could eat again.

However, something felt odd about the way her hand was rubbing against her stomach. Something felt strange... the fabric beneath her fingers felt very different from what she usually wore at night. Fingering the unknown fabric between her fingers, Serenity recognized it as cotton. "What? What is this?"

Peeking beneath the covers, she gasped when she found herself clothed in nothing but an over sized white dress shirt. "What the--?!" Why was she wearing that?! And more importantly, who's shirt was she wearing?! 'What happened last night?'

Trying her best to get through the nausea she felt, Serenity slowly sat up. Clutching her throbbing head, Serenity looked at her surroundings as best as she could. This was definitely a different room. It had to be someone else's bedroom. Was it Alani's?

Suddenly, something caught her eye. A black piece of crumpled fabric laid near her feet at the side of the bed. Peering curiously at it, Serenity realized that it was a tuxedo jacket. 'A tuxedo? Who was wearing a tux--'

Serenity froze. 'Wait a minute. The Prince was wearing a tuxedo last night... and... and he's worn a dress shirt like this before... Then... then that means... that means... No, it couldn't possibly be...'

As if on cue, Endymion entered the room. Draped in nothing but a towel covering his waist and one hanging over his shoulders, his body was drenched in steam and water droplets. Stepping out of the bathroom door, the Prince smiled at her. "Good morning," he greeted.

Hands flying up to her mouth, Serenity screamed as loud as she could.


	12. Chapter 11

**Prisoner of His Heart  
**Written by: Odango Atama

Finally, here is the eleventh installment of Prisoner of His Heart. For those that are interesting, the reason for the three month hiatus were due to two main things: writer's block and exams. I had to think where I wanted to take this story and what would happen next, and of course there was the act of actually sitting down and writing. It took a while, but I haven't given up on this story! The chapters should come much faster now that I know where I'm going and I have a lot more free time now.

This chapter deals with Endymion's new found feelings towards Serenity. No longer denying the fact that the attraction he feels for her is much more than physical and that he really does want to fall in love with her, he has to sort out whether or not he should pursue this new found revelation. He also has to deal with the consequences of last night's actions and deal with the fact that Serenity may never truly forgive him for letting it happen. It also sets the background to the next obstacle set forth before Endymion and Serenity that will carry onto the next few chapters. Serenity finds out something new about the Prince and questions his motives and true feelings. What will happen? The only way to find out is to read!

The chapter comes to about 15 pages. Much more tame than the last chapters, it is a lengthy read, but I had to include a lot this time around. Please enjoy, and if you have the time please leave a review with any questions or comments about the story.

* * *

Perhaps screaming at the top of her lungs wasn't exactly the smartest idea in the world considering how her head was pounding non-stop and her stomach was doing back flips, cartwheels and somersaults all at once, but it was the first knee-jerk reaction that came to her when Endymion entered the room. How else would any normal person react if they had found themselves dressed in nothing but another man's shirt as well as sleeping in his bed, only to discover that "other man" was actually the man that who was your worst enemy yet for some reason you had recently developed feelings for and that he was in front of you in nothing but a towel? 

Suddenly screaming didn't seem like such a foolish thing to do after all.

"Shhhhh!" Endymion hissed angrily across the room. "Keep it down!" he ordered, voice reduced to a whisper. "Do you _want_ people to find out that you're here?"

His harsh tone shook Serenity out of her initial trance-like shock and immediately silenced her. In her brief moment of irrationality, she had momentarily become unaware just whose bedroom she was in, and that not only was she was a prisoner of his castle, but also the daughter and heiress to their sworn enemy. What exactly would people say if they found her in the bed and attire of their precious Earth Prince? They'd murder her cold, that's for sure!

Nervously brushing back a strand of hair behind her ear, Serenity adjusted the volume of her voice accordingly. "Sorry. I just, was surprised. I mean, one minute I'm in some ballroom, and the next minute I'm here, in your bed, with you standing there in... in... a... you..." Her eyes inconspicuously glazed over Endymion's fashion statement, or lack thereof, and her face flushed crimson red.

Not that it was a horrible sight to see; in fact, it was the exact opposite. Hidden beneath the exterior of his bulky armor was a perfectly sculpted and toned body. A body that Serenity had not been fully aware of or exposed to until that very moment. Not to mention, the beads of water that dripped and clung to his skin were not helping. No, none of this was helping her at all. How was she supposed to get over him when he was standing there looking like that? She uneasily clutched the blanket tightly to her warm body, suddenly becoming frightfully aware of how humid the room had become.

Endymion smirked, clearly loving seeing her so embarrassed like that. It was that reaction that fueled him to continuously push her buttons during their various heated arguments. Though he may have not always won the battle, all it took was that response to make him feel like he had won the war. It was ironic how just the sight of his skin made her turn so red and yet the night before she was doing unspeakable acts to him that would cause even her great, great grandmother's friend of a friend to blush. Her eyes caught his stare from across the room for a brief moment before hastily looking away. "Would you just put some bloody clothes on already?" she cried frustratingly while avoiding his eyes all together, although she wasn't sure if that's what she really wanted.

"Why? Is the sight of my body bothering you, Princess?" His voice dripped with arrogance as he turned around to open his dresser drawers. Serenity seethed through her teeth. She knew very well he was thoroughly enjoying every moment of this. Every second of her befuddled state was a long, sensual stroke to his already enormously huge ego. How she wished she could control her behaviour around him. Still, as futile as it was, Serenity would not allow the pompous Prince the upper hand in this battle.

"Seeing you like that makes me want to vomit," she retorted, although fully aware that his body made her want to do anything but vomit.

He smiled in response. After spending weeks with the inscrutable Moon Princess, he was slowly beginning to decipher her puzzling lexicon. Endymion knew that "I want to vomit" was in actuality code for "Yes, it is bothering me, but I'm too incredibly stubborn to fully admit it." Smirking to himself again, he walked over to his closet and pulled out a pair of black pants. As much as he wanted to play around with the Princess, he really needed to get dressed.

As he clothed himself in silence, Serenity fumbled anxiously with her hands on top of her lap, each moment more agonizing than the next. It took all of her self-control to avoid looking at the Prince as he dressed only meters away from her. Her heart raced when she heard the sound of the towel drop to the floor. Clenching her eyes shut, Serenity bit down on her lip as she felt her entire body grow hot and tingly. How in the world did one man turn her on so much? 'Oh God, I'm so perverted!'

Never had she thought things would turn out the way they did. Falling for the Prince, becoming so unhealthily obsessive to the point of hallucinations, and of course, the topping of the cake: somehow managing to wake up in his bed with no recollection of how she got there or what happened in the first place. She never thought she would do the things she did since stumbling into the Earth Palace. How ashamed would her people feel if they knew what she felt and did to the Prince? How would her mother react? Would she be disappointed and disown her? If they did rescue her, would they even want her back?

'What am I thinking? I'm acting as if the Prince and I are together in a relationship.' Even if there was a sliver of hope that he bared some sort of love for her, Serenity knew that no matter what, the Prince loved his kingdom first. There was no way he would give up his people for one single woman, let alone the Moon Princess, no doubt. Either way, Serenity was stuck in a painful one-sided love that consisted of clinging onto whatever the Prince threw her way. Precious fragments—moments stolen in time, and she knew that these moments were better than nothing at all.

"You can look now," Endymion spoke up, his voice pulling her out of her thoughts. Opening her eyes, Serenity looked up at the partly dressed Prince of the Earth that stood before her with his shirt half buttoned. Hair tussled, eyes weary, she didn't realize just how tired he looked until now. She hadn't seen that look on him since he was busy preparing for whatever it was he was preparing for those weeks ago in the throne room. Did he not get enough sleep? Serenity took a quick scan around the room. There was no piece of furniture in sight that looked remotely comfortable to sleep on. Where in the world did he sleep? On the floor? On the table? In the chair?

Serenity gulped. 'Or did we sleep in this bed together?' The image alone caused her cheeks to fire up again. Oh, how the curiosity was killing her! What in the world happened last night? She needed to know what happened, if anything happened at all. She needed to know whether she was over reacting, or needed to make a one-way trip to the nearest cleansing waterfall and purify herself. Her lips pursed, inching to form the needed words, but her nerves had the best of her.

The bed weight shifted as Endymion sat himself down next to her legs. As he rubbed the back of his neck Serenity couldn't help but notice how broad and defined his shoulders were. Shaking her head, she scolded herself again. 'Idiot! Now is not the time to be thinking about that!'

"Oi Princess, could you massage my back for a moment?" Endymion requested. Resting forward with his elbows on his knees, he hung his fatigued head as a sigh escaped his lips. For a moment Serenity's mind went blank. After taking a few seconds to register his demand, she remembered the last time he asked her to massage him and how it almost ended with a kiss. Soon after, she remembered claiming she would never fall in love with the Terran Prince. A part of her was relieved that Endymion had no clue of her feelings; it would grant him an eternity of "I told you so"s that would forever haunt her poor, tortured soul.

Her trembling hands inched forward slowly, hesitating moments before coming into contact with his body. Why was she always nervous when it came to touching the Prince? Whether it was a simple brush of skin or a handshake, Serenity could feel the anxiety within her. But this anxiety did not frighten her; no, it was the opposite. It _excited_ her. In all honestly, she would love nothing more than to touch him all day. The way he felt beneath her skin, his warmth, the smoothness of his skin, the fabric of his clothing, and the way he somewhat quivered when she moved close; it gave her a glimmer of hope that perhaps he felt the same anxiety she felt. Unfortunately, Serenity knew that was not the case. She really was clinging to the bits and pieces of this complicated man.

Placing her hands firmly on his shoulders, she felt the Prince stiffen beneath them. 'Did I grab too hard?' she wondered, as she began to massage him.

Of course, that was not the case. No matter how hard he mentally prepared himself, he could never control his reaction to her touch. Inhaling sharply, Endymion shut his eyes, basking in the feeling of her tiny hands undoing the knots in his shoulders. Slowly, the tension and stress that had built up in his muscles started to disappear, only to be replaced by the euphoric sensations he felt from Serenity's magical touch. Unable to suppress a groan, Endymion unwillingly let her know how wonderful she was making him feel right now.

Blushing, Serenity was thankful his back was to her. Did her massage really help him? 'I wonder why he's all tensed up like this.' Again, all it took was a simple question; a simple question that Serenity was having trouble bringing herself to ask. What was she afraid of? Finding out the truth? No, it wasn't just the truth that frightened her. It was what would happen _after_ the truth came out that scared her. Their relationship, for a lack of a better term, had it's ups and downs, and came close to _many_ things, but what if last night... what if it changed everything? Would he be mad if she couldn't remember anything? What if he never wanted to speak to her again? What if... what if...

'I could just be over analyzing things,' she told herself. That was a possibility. There were many possibilities, but only one way to find out. Yet, she just could not bring herself to question him. Sighing heavily, Serenity hung her head, ashamed that she could not muster up the courage to ask a simple question.

"Is something wrong, Serenity?" Endymion asked, as if he had mentally tapped into her thoughts. Realizing her hands had stopped moving, Serenity quickly returned to her task at hand.

"N-no, nothing at all," she lied.

"Sorry to ask you to do this so bright and early, but my neck was killing me this morning," he explained, stretching his said muscle. "I guess that's what happens when you sleep in a wooden chair."

'He slept in the chair?' Feeling guilty, Serenity wondered if it was because she took up the bed that he had to sleep in that uncomfortable position? Biting down her lip, Serenity began to concentrate harder on relieving the muscle pains to ease her guilt. "That's my fault, isn't it?" she quietly asked.

"Doesn't matter," he sighed, leaning his head back slightly. God, her hands really were miracle workers. "Where in the world did you learn how to massage like this?"

"It's a gift," Serenity giggled. Little did he know, she had became good friends with the physiologist back home when she was young, who had taught her the secret art to relaxing massages.

"Remind me to visit you every Christmas then."

"Hey, my services don't come without a price."

"I'm sure I can find a way to pay you back," he replied, his tone more sensual that she had expected.

'Oh, why in the world did he have to say it like _that_?' Even more relieved he could not witness her agitated state, Serenity looked to the side just in case. 'Really, he just comes out no where with those innuend--'

She paused as a sudden realization hit her. She hadn't noticed it fully until then but the Prince and her... were having a _normal _conversation. There was no yelling, no arguing, no teasing, albeit a bit of flirting, but this was about as normal as their interactions ever were. Why, he hadn't even called her "stupid" once! He even apologized for asking her to do this to him! The Prince... apologizing and meaning it? Why, that would mean he felt compassion, and to feel compassion meant that he cared and to care, meant that he had a conscience. The Prince... with a conscience? Did she wake up in backwards land?

It frightened her initially. As nice as it seemed to have a civil conversation with the Prince, she had grown so accustomed to the fighting and arguing, that she didn't know how else to react in a situation otherwise. What had caused this sudden change? Wasn't it just yesterday night she was running away from him, unable to fully accept that he was glad they broke things off? And now, here they were, sitting in his bed, chatting as if nothing had changed? Something important and Earth shattering must have happened last night, and she couldn't remember a thing!

"Serenity?" Endymion called.

Shaken out of her thoughts again, Serenity's head shot up. "Mm?"

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked again. Her hands had stopped moving again.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she replied cheerfully. She wasn't used to this caring version of the Prince.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"What is it?"

He hesitated for a second. "Do you... do you remember anything.. from last night?"

She froze on the spot. How did he manage to always catch her off guard like that? Her hands unconsciously stopped kneading again at his shoulders, as if she needed the energy to think of a reply. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. What could she say? Say no, and risk him never speaking to her again? Or say yes, and hope to remember it later? Oh, why couldn't she remember anything? Hands dropping down from his back, Serenity lowered her head.

No, she couldn't lie to him. Her heart would not allow her to do so. It was one thing to lie about her feelings, but to lie about something that could have been important, to the both of them? No, she was brought up better than that. Sighing, Serenity bit down on her lip. "I'm sorry, Prince..."

Looking back over his shoulder, Endymion was surprised to see her like that. Turning in his seat to face her, Endymion reached forward and lifted her chin up with his hand to look at him. Her eyes, although were not crying, looked as if she was about to. "Why are you sorry, Serenity?" he asked curiously.

Her lip quivering, Serenity helplessly looked into his eyes. "I don't remember anything... I'm sorry," she replied, sniffling in between.

"You don't remember a single thing?" he repeated as he searched her eyes for a glimmer of truth. Shaking her head, she hoped and prayed to whatever God was up there that he would not desert her because of it.

Instead, he breathed a sigh of relief. Brow furrowing, Serenity was not expecting that reaction. Letting go of her chin, Endymion chuckled as he shook his head. "Well, that's what happens when you get drunk, Princess."

Her eyebrows rose to her hairline as she was struck by complete astonishment "Ehhhh?!" Serenity screeched, hands flying to her mouth. "Drunk?! How.. how is that.. what...?!" She couldn't process her own thoughts properly.

"Do you remember a punch bowl?" Endymion asked, tilting his head. "Well, apparently you guzzled down the punch without knowing it was alcoholic."

"You're kidding me..." Serenity leaned back against the head board behind her shaking her head in disbelief. She felt like a complete idiot. She got drunk? Off punch? All of a sudden things started to make sense as she brought a hand to her forehead. The headache, the nausea, the lack of memory, the bitter taste in her mouth—it all made sense. Sweet, innocent, good girl Princess Serenity got drunk off punch. Groaning, she hung her head in shame. Feeling embarrassed that not only was she making a big deal out of something that probably never happened, but she got drunk! Drunk. Oh, perhaps she was better off not knowing what happened. She was a Princess, for crying out loud. Throwing her face in her hands, Serenity groaned. "Oh God..."

"Don't worry. Alani got you out of there before anything really horrifying happened. Besides, no one knew who you were," he comforted, placing a hand on her knee.

"Alani?" Serenity sniffed, peaking through her fingers, unaware of the location of his hand. An image of a plant popped into her head. 'Why... why did I all of a sudden picture a plant in my head? Wait, if Alani was there, then how did I end up here?' "If Alani had me, why did she bring me to you?"

Endymion laughed. The question was so innocent, but so naïive. "We're talking about Alani here. The girl who drugged you and brought you to a closet in an attempt to get you to start talking to me again? You shouldn't be surprised when something is out of the norm and Alani is involved," he explained. "And don't worry, you somehow managed to change yourself even though you were drunk as an idiot."

Blushing more, she hid behind the gates of her fingers. At least he wasn't the one who changed her. "You... you didn't... _see_, did... you?"

"I didn't see anything that I haven't already seen before."

"O-oh..." Wanting to crawl into a hole and die, Serenity didn't want to remove the hands from her face.

She was relieved somewhat, but something was bothering her. 'The Prince was relieved when I said I didn't remember.' Although she was still drowning in the feelings of idiocy and regret, part of the mystery was left unsolved. Judging by his reaction, there was still the question of what happened in between if anything did, and why he was being so nice to her and trying to comfort her and not throwing her out of his room while calling her an idiot.

Endymion could tell by her silence that she was not completely satisfied by his response. Although he was partially happy that she could not remember, it only meant that he had to tell her what happened. He had contemplated leaving her completely out of the dark and start anew. But the moment he woke up that morning and saw her sleeping peacefully in his bed, he knew he couldn't lie to her even if he wanted to. Even if it meant she would never forgive him or speak to him again. But the sooner he told her, the sooner she'd forgive him. The longer he dragged this out, the more likely she would stay mad at him forever.

Reaching for her hands, he pulled them carefully away from her mortified face, and held them gently in his hands. Blinking a few times, Serenity was confused by his intimate gesture. Endymion was well aware of how differently he had been treating her today. But after last night, what right did he have to call her an idiot? What right did he have to act like a jerk to her? The only jerk and idiot here was him. An idiot for taking the innocence of a young girl because he couldn't control himself. A jerk for not being able to push her off and do the right thing. For losing the trust of the woman that he wanted nothing more than to fall hopelessly in love with...

But, it was definitely a good thing she wasn't paying attention to his confession to her. He needed time to sort out his feelings, to figure out what they were, and what he was going to do with it. Endymion knew he wanted to fall for her, there was no use denying that anymore. But just because he wanted to love her, that didn't mean he loved her just yet. So many obstacles would be set forth if they pursued a relationship, and he didn't want to give up his kingdom, on his people, or on the war against the Moon. Besides, what if Serenity didn't even feel the same way towards him? What if she really was just only physically attracted to him? It was confusing, and he needed time to figure it out. Perhaps after he told her the truth, Serenity would give him that time.

"Serenity," he began, his thumbs gently stroking her hand. Gazing into her eyes, he searched for any compassion and forgiveness, wondering if maybe that would be the last time he'd see them. "I have something I need to tell you."

Nodding, Serenity gulped in anticipation. He was going to solve her mystery. He was going to tell her everything. From here on, their lives would be forever changed. In which direction, good or bad, she wasn't sure. All of it would be decided in a matter of seconds.

"About last night, something happened... something that I should have stopped... but it happened.. "

Her eyes widened. All fingers pointed in one direction. A direction in which required her to make a one-way stop to a cleansing waterfall. Palms becoming sweaty, Serenity wondered if she really wanted to know the truth now.

"Serenity, I--"

A loud knock on the door interrupted their moment. "Master Endymion," a young voice called from the outside. "Master Endymion, are you awake?"

Annoyed at the intrusion, Endymion groaned. Whoever it was on the other side of the door better have a good excuse for spoiling the moment. "Yes, I'm awake!" he yelled angrily towards the door. "What do you want?!"

"We're prepared for our visit to the Bishop!" the man replied hesitantly from behind the door. "Lord Kunzite ordered me to retrieve you, Master Endymion!"

Scratching the back of his head, Endymion nodded in defeat. Somehow in the span of a few minutes he had forgotten the reason why he had to wake up so early. "Right. Tell him I'll be there soon!"

Serenity tilted her head with curiosity. "You're leaving?" she asked, sadness visible in her tone.

Sighing, Endymion looked up at her. "Yeah. I would cancel it, but we've been pressing for a meeting with the Bishop for the longest time now, it would be foolish to withdraw now." Pulling on her hands gently, he smiled at her. She seemed so sad he was leaving that it made him happy for some reason. "I'll send Alani to get you some food. I've left you a towel and clothing if you want to take a shower. We'll talk when I get back, I promise." Leaning forward, he brought one hand to the back of her neck and pulled her head forward gently as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

Wincing at the touch of his lips on her skin, Serenity then watched as he stood up from the bed. She nodded in silence, flustered by his sudden intimacy. What had caused this sudden change in him? Was she dreaming? Or was he just horribly playing with her heart like this? Why couldn't he tell her before he left? Was this even the Prince? What if she was hallucinating again?

And before she knew it, she was up on her feet, hands clutching onto his wrist, holding him back ever so slightly. There were so many things she wanted to say, wanted to ask, wanted to do... but there was no time to do any of it. As she held his corporal arm in her hands, she was relieved that she had not dreamed this compassionate and caring version of the Prince. She watched as he turned his body to face her with a loving smile on his face. A smile that she had never seen before. Why, why was he doing this now? Why now after he made it perfectly clear he wanted nothing to do with her? Why now before leaving her alone in his room? "Prince..."

"What's the matter?" he asked.

Lips pursing, Serenity couldn't stop herself from asking him a simple request. "Call... call me an idiot!"

Her plea caused him to laugh in response. "W-what?"

"Please! You haven't called me an idiot all day, and I'm just honestly starting to doubt if this is really you in front of me. I... I need to hear it. I need to hear you say it," she begged, needing the reaffirmation that this was the Prince and not some hokey figment of her subconscious and that he really was going to come back and that it was really him that was being nice to her.

Pulling her forward with a jerk of his wrist, he welcomed her into his embrace as he wrapped his arms tightly around her small body. Serenity squeaked with surprise, not expecting him to do such a thing. Resting his chin on the top of her head, Endymion inhaled the familiar scent of her shampoo that intoxicated him every time. Closing his eyes, he basked in the feeling of her body against his, and the state of bliss that he felt holding her in his arms. She felt like a perfect fit, as if he was made to hold her like that.

Loosening his hold slightly, he looked down at her, a smile plastered on his lips. She stared up at him with her big round, ocean eyes, filled with perplexity and hope that warmed him greatly. How he wanted nothing but to embrace her like this for eternity. She was really make it hard for him to leave! Obliging to her request, he lifted her chin up again and leaned forward, noses almost grazing.

"You, Princess Serenity, are the biggest idiot I will ever know." Closing his eyes, he moved in slowly to touch her lips with his.

But just as he was about to kiss her, that ever so annoying knock took this opportunity again to destroy Endymion's attempt to court the Princess. "Master Endymion, are you finished getting ready?" the voice called again, unaware of the fire and rage building up inside of the Earth Prince.

Gritting his teeth, Endymion growled. "I'm going to kill him!" Serenity giggled. There was the hot headed Prince she fell in love with. This was definitely the Prince in front of her. "I'll be out in a minute!" Exhaling, he shook his head. "He's _so_ fired."

"Ne... come back soon, okay?" she pleaded, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'll be back before you know it." Not wanting to be disturbed again, Endymion retracted from the embrace much to his opposition to do so. Flashing one last smile at her, he turned his back to her and proceeded to walk towards the door.

As Serenity watched the Prince disappear behind the wooden exit, she could still feel her heart racing, and her body lingering for his touch. Holding her body with her arms, she smiled. These moments, these pieces, these fragments of time—they were all hers.

* * *

"She's in your room?" 

Endymion paused briefly, before nodding. "Yeah, she is."

"And she needs a change of clothes?"

Tightening the reigns around the horse, he nodded again.

"And food?"

Nod.

"So let me get this straight," Alani began, trying to make sense of his request. "You want me to bring her food, change of clothes, and check up on her for the entire day, when you could just as easily do the same if you just canceled this meeting with the Bishop?"

"Trust me," his voice slightly strained as he propped himself onto the horse. "I would want nothing more than to go back into that room. Unfortunately, we've been pursuing the Bishop for a meeting for the past six months. Wouldn't it be oddly suspicious if I decided to withdraw and lock myself in my room?"

Alani shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, sounds like typical Endy-like behaviour to me."

He frowned at her. "Hey, you and I both know I'm a very responsible leader."

"Of course, of course." Patting the horse's hip softly with her hand, Alani smiled up at the Prince. "Have a safe trip. Don't worry about the Princess, I'll make sure she's safe." The comforting tone in her voice eased Endymion's nerves. If there was one person he could entrust his entire well being to, it would be the woman standing beneath him.

"Just make sure you don't mention anything about last night to her. I want to properly explain things to her." With her fingers, Alani did a zipper-like motion across her lips, signifying that his secret was safe with her. Smiling, Endymion knew he had nothing to worry about. "Oh and, keep her company. She's probably going to be bored all by herself."

"Aye, aye, soldier!"

Jerking the reigns with his hands, the horse took this signal and proceeded to gallop off into the distance. Grinning cheerfully, she watched as Endymion disappeared into the sunrise as a feeling of content washed over her. Perhaps things were finally looking up for Endy and the Princess. 'Big thanks to me,' she thought to herself, as she made her way towards the Prince's chambers.

* * *

Serenity closed her eyes as the warm water rushed down from the shower head, splashing her face with it's gentle spray. It felt refreshing to finally be able to bathe after all that had happened, even if she couldn't remember most of it. She had felt so sick that morning, and a nice, warm shower seemed to be all she needed. 

It felt oddly exhilarating to be in _his_ shower. The scent of her skin and hair flooded her with memories of embracing the Prince. Sighing heavily, Serenity wrapped her arms around her body in an attempt to calm her lonely state. It had only been a few minutes since he had left, but to her it seemed like too much time had passed. She wondered what it was he wanted to say. Something that happened but shouldn't have? Did they do something that he regretted the next morning? There were many possibilities, but Serenity could only think of one general outcome. Did they make love last night? Is that the something that happened but shouldn't have? Hands rushing to her cheeks, Serenity shook her head. 'I'm so perverted!'

But if it were that then she would have definitely felt it. Although Serenity did not know much about _it_, she knew a thing or two from the gossip from the maids and generals' daily conversations. If they had done... something, she would definitely be feeling the after-effects of it all. But she felt nothing. 'Maybe it's not like that for every girl? What am I saying? It's like I _wanted_ something to have happened last night...' The truth of the matter is, she would be a lot happier if nothing like that had happened. If she had given her virginity under the influence of alcohol, Serenity would never be able to look at herself the same ever again. She was a woman after all. Like most girls, she dreamed of the perfect first time: the perfect setting, the perfect moment, with the perfect man, plus she would like to have been in conscious control whenever it happened. That being said, was the Prince even that "perfect" man she was looking for?

She shook her head vigorously. 'Pervert!' Suddenly she felt hotter than the water. Although there were times when they had come close, she hadn't really thought of going even further with him. But what if they did? What would their relationship be like afterwards? Would there even be one? Would he finally cast her aside after finally achieving his goal? His new found chivalry started to make sense now. Perhaps he was just feeling guilty for whatever had happened last night, and that nothing really did change. In a matter of days, the guilt would disappear and he would throw her out of his life again. Sighing, Serenity lowered her head in defeat. That sounded like a typical Prince-like move.

Shutting off the water tap, she slid the door open. Grabbing the nearby towel, she dried off her hair before wrapping it securely around her body. Peering around the bathroom, she mentally noted how large yet tidy everything was. 'Of course it's neat and tidy, this is the Prince of the Earth's bathroom.' If it was dirty and untidy, she would have to fear the condition of the other bathrooms in the palace.

Glancing at the steam covered window, Serenity wiped the back of her hand across the cool plane revealing a moist, yet rejuvenated Moon Princess. Make up finally washed off, her crescent moon birth mark shone brightly beneath her wet, golden bangs. She felt slightly ashamed for having to hide her birth right even if it was only for a few hours. Fingers grazing slightly over her crescent moon, a wave of nostalgia rushed over her as she recalled her life back on the Moon Kingdom. How long has it been since she left? A month? A few weeks? 'I wonder how the Senshi are doing? How is Luna? Artemis?'

Of course, the one person that concerned her most was her Mother. How was she doing without her? Was she worried sick? Were they trying to find ways to get her back? A thought suddenly crossed her mind that she hadn't thought of until that moment. What if her Mother was trying to save her, and succeeded? After all that had happened, could she return back to the Moon? Could she get through the day knowing the Prince would not be around the corner to call her an idiot? To tease her? But could she stay as a prisoner of this castle, pining over a man who could easily grow bored of her any second? And what if the Prince went to war with her mother? What would she do? Serenity hadn't fully realized how complicated things really were. Was it really a good idea to fall in love with the Prince? "As if I had a say in the matter..." she grumbled. 'It's not my fault, really! It was his fault for being so... so...'

A heavy sigh. "...so perfect," she admitted with defeat. Feeling depressed, Serenity wished that the Prince would return soon. Turning away slowly, she opened the door and exited the bathroom. But what would she do in the meantime?

"Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in Prince Endymion's room?!"

The infuriated voice of an angry, hot headed woman roared across the room, throwing her by surprise. Clutching desperately to her towel, Serenity hoped and prayed to whatever God that was watching her to send down some help her way.

* * *

With a fresh, new pair of undergarments and maid uniform in hand, Alani bounced happily with each step to the Prince's chambers. From what Endymion had told her, Serenity must be in a serious state of confusion. From breaking up to waking up in his bed, Alani knew the Princess' heart must be mixed up and jumbled. 'That's why I'm here!' she exclaimed cheerfully inside her head. All she needed now were wings, a bow and heart shaped arrows, and she'd be set. 

Once reaching the wooden doors, Alani fumbled with one hand in her pocket to retrieve the key. No one had access to the Prince's chambers except, well, the Prince. The key she held in her hand was the sole one and Endymion had entrusted that to her for the day. There was no use wondering why no one was allowed entrance to his room. Being the Prince, nay, ruler of a kingdom meant your privacy was gravely limited. Endymion just needed a place to be himself; forget being a Prince, forget being a future King, forget having the responsibility of the millions of lives residing on his territory. A moment's peace was all that he needed.

Of course, having one key to your room also meant no one would be able to interrupt you when there was more than one person in your room. He didn't have to hang a sock over his doorknob to signify 'Do not disturb,' it was already heavily implied. He wasn't nicknamed the Prince of Lechery for no reason. If you were a young, beautiful and wealthy woman, being invited to the Prince's chambers was just like winning the lottery for a one-night stay in paradise. Shaking her head, Alani groaned. Her dearest and best friend was a nymphomaniac and a womanizer! 'Maybe I should find another best friend?' she wondered.

Turning the handle, Alani hesitated when she heard sounds coming from the other side. Placing her ear against the door, she listened intently. From what she could make out it sounded like... it sounded like... 'Crying?' Worried that something had happened, Alani hurriedly pushed the door open. She hoped that what she had heard was just a figment of her imagination, and that Serenity was simply just sleeping peacefully.

What she wasn't expecting to see was the Princess sitting on the floor, knees curled to her chest, head between her knees with a towel draped loosely around her shoulders.

"Princess..." Alani breathed, unsure of what to take of this sight. Closing the door behind her, Alani she over to the fallen Princess. "What in the world happened?"

Weakly lifting her head, tears brimmed down the Princess' cheeks. Suddenly becoming consciously aware of her unclothed position, Serenity adjusted the towel accordingly. Smiling comfortingly, Alani extended her hand out. "It's alright Princess, it's just me."

"Alani..." Lips trembling, Serenity jumped forward, grasping Alani's hands in between hers. "Alani, I'm so glad you're here..."

Lowering down to her knees, Alani leaned forward and brushed Serenity's bangs from her eyes in an attempt to calm the Princess' frantic nerves. Fingers trailing down her face, they grazed over three red lines over her right cheek which bore a large resemblance to fingernail scratches. Where did she get these? "Serenity, where'd you get these marks?"

"She was just angry... jealous. It was understandable, considering the context... She looked more sad than angry, actually..."

"'She'?" Who was this 'she'? How did the Princess manage to speak to someone? If she could not leave the room, then that meant someone must have entered the room. 'But no one is able to enter Endy's chambers... was Serenity hallucinating again?' "Serenity, who are you talking about?"

Serenity looked to the side as she lifted her hand to touch her wound. "Her name... her name was Beryl... She must have come here looking for the Prince..."

Eyes widening, Alani gasped. "B-beryl?! How... how in the world did she get into this room?" That sorceress had no limits. How did she find access to the Prince's chambers? "Did she hurt you, Princess?" If Serenity had gotten hurt on her watch, she would have never forgiven herself.

Shaking her head, Serenity sniffed. "No. Well, except these, but they don't hurt... I'm just worried she's going to tell everyone I was here." Forcing out a laughter, she rested her forehead on the palm of her hand. "I just wish you had told me earlier."

"Told you what, Princess?"

"...that she's the Prince's fiancée."

* * *

_Moments before..._

"Well, are you going to answer me?!"

Serenity remained perfectly still. Too many questions were running through her brain that she didn't have time to process any of it. All she could focus on was the woman standing in front of her with a look that was meant to kill.

With long, wavy red hair, the woman stood before her in a black dress with an apron-like skirt wrapped around her waist. Puffy sleeves coming to a stop just beneath her underarms, frilly lace adorned them as well as her chest, accentuating her nicely proportioned body. A crystal-like accessory rested on her forehead as a pair of icy, purple eyes burned daggers into Serenity's soul. As frightening and intimidating as she was standing in front of her, Serenity couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. Judging by the maturity in her face and the development of her body, she must have been slightly older than herself. Serenity's breasts were no where as supple or developed as hers and her hips were not as curvy or rounded. She must have looked like a child in her eyes! Insecurity dawned as she wrapped the towel tighter around her body.

"I don't have all day, dear," the woman spoke with agitation. After no response, she sighed with annoyance. "You must be one of Endymion's nightly flings, looking for more. Sorry to tell you, but Endymion is a dine and dash kind of guy. If you're looking for something more, then you'll be surely disappointed."

Serenity frowned, insulted that she was mistaken for those "women." 'Come to think of it... isn't that what I'm doing? Looking for seconds when everyone has had their share already?' As saddening of a thought as that was, it was better than being discovered. Serenity nodded in compliance.

"Pathetic," the woman spat, folding her arms across her chest. "How could you possibly think the Prince would be interested in a child like you?"

Serenity winced, knowing that she had hit a sore spot. "Can't blame a girl for trying, can you?" she mustered unenthusiastically.

"So, the tramp can speak. What's your name, kid?"

Her jaw dropped. 'Tramp!? Kid?!' Why was this woman so mean?

"Whatever, it doesn't matter. Endymion can have his fun with your kind, but I know his heart is settled for one person only," she said with confidence. Serenity tilted her head with curiosity. Who was she talking about? Herself? Who in the world was this woman? Catching her intrigued expression, the woman smiled evilly. "Obviously, me. I am the woman of Endymion's dreams."

Woman of his dreams? If that were true, she'd stand no chance against a beauty like her! "Who are you?" Serenity found herself asking without thinking.

Taking a step forward, the woman's eyes narrowed. "Beryl. Countess Beryl."

Serenity's eyes widened in response. This was Beryl? The countess that the Prince frequently hid from? As scary and overpowering as she was, Serenity couldn't see why the Prince would want to hide from her. She was incredibly beautiful with an adult-like body that screamed sexual experience. Who wouldn't want to be with a woman like her? She wouldn't be surprised if this Beryl woman really was the woman of Endymion's dreams. If that were true, then why would he hide from her? She was so confused. Although, it would make sense if it were true. Perhaps the Prince really loved Beryl, but could not summon the courage to settle down, thus hopped vicariously bed to bed. Perhaps she was just another bed to him. Maybe he said he was hiding from Beryl in order to trick her into bed. If that were true, then the only evil person here was her. Suddenly, a lot of things were starting to make sense.

Lost in her train of thoughts, Serenity had not notice until then that Beryl had closed the distance between them. Grabbing her arm with a forceful grip, Beryl pulled the unsuspecting Moon Princess close. Those cold eyes that intimidated her from a distance burned deep into her soul up close. She couldn't help but look directly into them, afraid that if she didn't, she would hurt her even more. "Tell me," Beryl began, running a finger along Serenity's cheek. "What is your name?"

Her hands were trembling. "W-what does it matter?" Yelping in pain as Beryl tightened her hold on her arm, Serenity now knew she meant serious business.

"You seem to be different from the rest," Beryl commented, eyes continuing to pierce into her. "Normally, Endymion's women are gone by the next morning. He either kicks them out, or they disappear. You, on the other hand... not only did you stick around, but he also let you take a shower. And since his room is a one way lock, not only does he want to keep you here, but he probably intends to continue the events of last night meaning..." Beryl's vise-like hold around her arm ventured almost to the point where she would bruise her muscles. "...he must have grown a liking to you."

Her arm hurt so much! Unable to think properly through the pain, Serenity bit down on her lip to try and bear with the pain. "It's not true..." she found herself saying without thinking.

"Of course it is, dearie. I know him more than you ever will," she replied coldly.

"Who... who are you?" Serenity asked weakly.

Beryl smiled, as if she expected that question. "Typical of him not to tell you. Of course he wouldn't tell you. Why would he spoil the surprise when the party had just started? The truth of the matter is, dear, I am his fiancée."

At that point, Serenity didn't know what hurt more: the pain her arm or the pain of her heart breaking into millions of pieces. He... he was engaged? The Prince was to be betrothed this whole time? She... she did all those things to a future married man? The woman that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with was standing right in front of her? Feeling the tears build up behind her eyes, Serenity tried her best to keep them back and not show them in front of Beryl, but it was too late.

"Tearing up, dear? Oh, I'm sorry," Beryl mocked condescendingly. "But the truth hurts, so get over it and get the hell out of his..." Her voice trailed off as her eyes traveled along the length of Serenity's forehead. Following her gaze, Serenity immediately stiffened in her grasp. If she washed off the make-up, then that meant... that meant... "That's funny, the mark on your forehead almost looks like..." And then it clicked. It all started to come together.

Filled with a new sense of rage, Beryl latched onto her other arm with equal force. Shaking her roughly, Serenity howled in pain as her body took the force of her brutal attack. The towel around her body unraveled and pooled around her feet, but neither cared at the moment. The secret was out.

"Why... why YOU, of all people?!" she screeched with animosity. "Why is Endymion sleeping with the Moon Princess of all people?!"

This was bad, this was terribly bad. Serenity knew if Beryl let these rumours out the Prince's life would be in danger as well as hers. Shaking her head, Serenity pleaded to the scorned countess. "No! We haven't.. we haven't slept together!"

"Then why are you here? Why... why is he even keeping you here?!" Beryl cried desperately, more disgusted than angered. "God, he's the one who should hate Moonlings the most! He's in love with you, isn't he?!"

"No! He doesn't! He really doesn't!" Shaking her head as hard as she could, Serenity pleaded mercifully to her. For some reason, Beryl's grip on her arms loosened significantly that Serenity could start to feel again in her fingers. Meeting her gaze for a moment, Serenity wondered why she was staring at her so intently. Suddenly she released her completely and shoved her to the side, suddenly disgusted by the naked sight of the Moon Princess.

"He doesn't love you?" Beryl asked, voice softer than it was earlier.

"He's your fiancée, isn't he? The woman he loves must obviously be you."

Beryl laughed in response. "You would think that, wouldn't you?" she whispered beneath her breath. "You're in love with him though, aren't you?"

Serenity knew the best answer would be to say no. But from the way Beryl's voice softened, Serenity almost felt sorry for her. The sound of her voice, the expression on her face was so solemn. It felt as if a future wife was sincerely concerned that her future husband may have fallen in love with another woman other than her, which is exactly what it was. The only evil, unpure person here, was her. Serenity lowered her head. "No, I'm not," she finally replied.

Her face burned with pain as Beryl's hand came into contact with her cheek, scratching it in the process. Frozen in shock, Serenity held her scorching face in her hand. Bending down to pick up the towel, Beryl draped it around Serenity's shoulders, before grabbing her chin roughly in her hands. "Listen, Moonling. You can lie to me anything else, but you can't lie about being in love with him. I know. There's that glimmer in your eye," she explained before releasing her hold. "...we both have it."

Walking past her, Beryl made her way towards the door. "Wait!" Serenity called, clutching tightly to her towel. "Please don't tell anyone you found me here! I promise I won't see the Prince anymore! But please... if you love him, you won't tell anyone!" she begged, hoping that her words would be significant enough.

Without turning to face her, Beryl held onto the door handle tightly. "Don't lump myself with you, Moonling. My definition of love is much more advanced than your childhood delusions will ever be," she replied before closing the door behind her.

* * *

"Fiancée?" Alani couldn't believe it. Her best friend had a fiancée without her knowing? Not to mention that this fiancée was the woman who frightened every bone in her body! Frowning, she wondered why he had never told her such an important detail. 'I thought we shared everything with each other?' Perhaps she didn't know the Prince as well as she thought she did... Unfortunately, she knew that the matter at hand here was not her hurt feelings, but was actually Serenity's. The poor girl, falling in love with the man who was in charge of the army at war with her kingdom, her worst enemy, and to be engaged all in one package. Alani wasn't sure how she'd be able to fix this, if she could at all. 'Stupid Endy... why couldn't he just tell me?!' If she knew he was engaged, she would have never encouraged Serenity's feelings. 

"Do you think she'll tell everyone about me?" Serenity asked.

"I don't think so... if this is Beryl we're talking about, she'd rather die than to see Endy beheaded for treason."

Horror displayed all over Serenity's face. "T-treason? Is that what we're doing? Treason?"

Alani's expression softened, and shook her head. "No, it's not... well... that's how everyone will see it, but it really isn't treason..."

Serenity hung her head on her knees. "No, but the millions of others will think it is. He's going to be hung, and it's all my fault!"

"Hey, hey, we're talking about Endy here! He's not the type to go down so easily. Trust me, it'll all work out in the end, alright?" To be honest, Alani didn't know where things would go from here. All she knew was that from now on things would be a lot more complicated than they already were. But she knew she had to keep Serenity with high hopes. If the Princess lost faith, then there would be nothing left. Smiling cheerfully, Alani patted her on the knee. "Cheer up Princess! How about I go get you some food?" she offered as she stood up. "Endy told me to make sure you eat well. Actually, maybe you should come with me," she wondered, fearing that Beryl would return and harm the Princess.

Shaking her head, Serenity closed her eyes. "No, that's fine. I'd rather be alone for a bit.. I'm sure Beryl won't come back."

Hands at her hips, Alani nodded. "I'll get the locksmith to come by and change the locks. I honestly don't know how Beryl managed to get in... Look, if you hear anyone try to enter that isn't me, just go into the bathroom and barricade yourself with a chair. I shouldn't be too long, okay? I brought you some clothing if you want to change, okay?"

Nodding, Serenity sniffed. "Thanks, Alani."

As Alani made her way through the exit, she took one last glance at the Princess. 'Please, whoever is listening, just for these five minutes, keep the Princess safe.'

* * *

Endymion groaned with discomfort as he hopped off his stallion. It took the whole day, but his meeting with the Bishop had finally been completed, and he was home. All he wanted to do now was go into his room and take a long, hot shower. Of course, the promise of a shower wasn't the main thing that he was thankful to be coming home too. 

No, it was the golden haired Moon Princess waiting in his bedroom that kept him going. Smiling, Endymion wondered if that meant he was falling for her? Maybe. All he knew was he needed to see her, talk to her, and tell her everything that happened last night, and maybe, just maybe if she forgave him, maybe they could bring their conversation further... whatever would happen, he just needed to see her, fast.

Walking through the palace doors, Endymion discarded his heavy armor and paddings. He knew the maids just cleaned the floors and would yell at him if he walked through them with muddy boots. Grinning, he remembered when he was a young child, scuffing the floors with his shoes and being forced to clean them by himself. The thing about having your parents die at a young age is that all of a sudden everyone else becomes your guardian. Maybe that's why he has so much respect for cleaners and his elders.

Dirt free, Endymion walked as fast as he could to his room. He couldn't wait to see the Princess! Tell her about his day, and everything else. Since when did he just want to talk with the Princess? Since when did she become the one thing he wanted to see? Since when did all of this become all about her? Ever since he realized he wanted to fall in love with her, he started seeing things in a whole new light and perspective. Things started to look a lot brighter to him, as if they were finally starting to go his way. Nothing could spoil his good mood!

"Endy!" Alani yelled from across the hall. Smiling, Endymion watched as she hurriedly rushed over to him, but his smile soon faded when he saw the look of immediate worry plastered all over her face.

"Alani?" he asked with concern as she drew closer to him. "What's wrong?"

"The... the Princess...!" she gasped, holding onto his arms for support as she caught her breath.

Endymion tensed. He didn't like the sound of where this was going. "Serenity? What happened?! What happened to Serenity?!"

Taking one last breath of air, Alani looked up at the Prince, face filled with remorse. "...she's gone!"


	13. Chapter 12

**Prisoner of His Heart  
**Written by: Odango Atama

I apologize for taking so long with this chapter. When I write each part, I have a sense of the story in my head, but as I continue to type away I start to find that some things just don't work anymore. Eventually I run into writer's blocks which can be quite frustrating especially when you know the last time you sent out a chapter was over a month ago. The original story itself was only a few chapters long but this time around I've incorporated much more smut, history and plot to it that I have to be careful not to dig myself into a plot hole. It's happened many times and they're sometimes difficult to avoid but I really am trying my best. So thank you for sticking by and waiting patiently. I will try to get the next chapter out as fast as I can before school starts.

As well, I've been going back and revising the previous chapters after finding a bunch of things that bothered me. Nothing in the plot will change so there's no need to re-read the story (unless you really want to). I'm just fixing up the grammar, re-writing a few scenes here and there, but the general storyline remains the same. That being said, because of this I would like to use this time to ask if **anyone would like to be a Beta reader for this story**. I only need about one or two and all you have to do is read the chapter, point out any inconsistencies and fix up any grammar mistakes you see. If you're interested, read my profile for further details.

This was probably the most difficult chapter I had to write, mainly because of the stuff listed already and the fact that this chapter is the set up for the future plots. There isn't much smut (boo) or any sexual tension that we all love and may be a little slow but it is vital for future chapters. If you're still confused about something, read the end notes, and if you're still confused just hang on a sec because it will probably be explained in the next few chapters. Note that large italics indicates flashbacks.

* * *

"She's not in the west, east or south hall." 

"Did you check the throne room?" Endymion asked hopefully.

"She's not in there either," the soldier informed regrettably. "We double checked every room and wing but she's no where to be found."

"Damnit," Endymion cursed as he slammed his fist on the table furiously. "Where the hell is she?!"

Alani watched helplessly as her best friend began to search frantically throughout the security monitors for any hint or glimpse of the missing Princess. This was the first time she had seen him so worried and agitated about anything in her entire life, and a part of her felt responsible. Endymion entrusted her with a simple yet important task, and she failed him. If only she hadn't left the Princess in the room alone, then none of this would have happened.

"The Moonling must still be in the palace, Master. The alarms would have gone off if she had left the premises," Kunzite notified, over looking the blueprints of the Earthen castle.

His words only slightly comforted Endymion. If she was still here, why couldn't anyone find her? Did she run away? Why would she want to run away? Besides the kidnapping, enslavement, and outcasting, of course. 'Things were fine before I left... unless, that's what she wanted me to believe. Maybe this whole time, she was just looking for a perfect opportunity to escape?' Feeling a pang of betrayal, he hoped that wasn't the case. He did not want to be played for a fool especially by her of all people. But then, the only other option was a kidnapping. 'Don't tell me I'm actually _hoping_ she was captured?' He aggregatively rubbed his open hand against his face. This was not his day at all.

"How did she even manage to escape in the first place?" The white haired general asked. Endymion's eyes wandered over his shoulders and met with Alani's briefly before looking away. They had told everyone that the Princess somehow escaped from _her_ room. Unfortunately, Endymion was still unclear himself of the real story. The only possibilities of escaping a locked room were that the door was not locked in the first place, the lock was broken, or the person with the key simply forgot to lock the door. Endymion hoped it wasn't the latter for it would have compromised the reliability of the one person he trusted the most. When Alani had told him Serenity was gone, he initially thought of it as a joke. A sick, disgusting and inappropriate joke, but ultimately forgivable.

But she wasn't joking at all. He could tell by by the look of dread on her face. As he ran to his room with an inkling of hope that the Princess would still be there when he opened his doors, a large part of him already knew the harsh reality, and that no one would be there to greet him on the other side of that door.

"What took you so long?" Serenity asked with a smile as she turned around to face him. Eyes growing wide, Endymion drew in a breath.

But just as he stepped forward, she vanished from his sight.

His bedroom had never felt so empty. _He_ had never felt so empty.

She really was gone.

"Since she's obviously found a good hiding spot, why don't we just wait until the alarms trigger to catch her?" Nephrite suggested as he stretched his weary shoulders. His words shook Endymion out of his momentary trance. Although it sounded rational, he knew he couldn't just sit there helplessly and wait for Serenity to reappear. What if she was in danger right now? What if she was hurt? What if she was somewhere out there waiting for him to save her? No, he _had _to do something.

"No," Endymion replied, immediately vetoing the idea. "We keep searching."

Sighing, Kunzite rubbed his forehead. He had been looking at that damned blueprint for the past two hours and it had taken a toll on not only his eyesight but his patience as well. "Prince, she's going to want to leave eventually, so we can catch her th--"

"I said, _no_, Kunzite," the Prince repeated firmly. "We keep searching."

The older general was taken aback by the Prince's tone. Although he was the Prince's subordinate, he knew the Shitennou were the Prince's trusted advisors and friends. But he had never seen him so rash and so quick to dismiss their ideas before. Why was he acting so differently now? "You want to expend the efforts of your people to search high and low for a _Moonling_? We could easily catch her if we wait it out and--"

"What did I just say?!" The hot blooded Prince bellowed angrily over his shoulder. "We keep searching. End of discussion," he ordered for the final time.

Kunzite clenched his jaw, bitterly turning away from the Prince. He did not enjoy being yelled at, especially by Endymion of all people. He remained silent and stared down at the floor plan in front of him. Why was he so stubborn this time? Was it because they were dealing with the Moon Princess this time? Why was he so eager to find her? There was something too suspicious about how overly concerned Endymion was over such a small matter. 'It's almost as if he was worried about her well being...'

"This is one person, people! How are we not able to find _one_ person?!" Endymion growled with annoyance, continuing to flicker through the security shots. "Come on, come on..." The more time passed, the less likely they would be able to find her. 'I am not sleeping until I find her,' he vowed. How could he rest knowing Serenity wasn't lying next to him, or at least, next door. When had it come to this? When did it get to the point where he wouldn't be able to sleep, let alone function without her? When had he fallen so deep? Although he had wanted this, it didn't occur to him that perhaps it had already happened...

"Prince Endymion!" The voice of the young general Jadeite urgently calling to him pulled Endymion out of his thoughts. "I think I may have found something."

Endymion immediately tensed eagerly by his words. "Did you find her?" he asked hopefully.

"Unfortunately, not," Jadeite replied disdainfully. "But, I found something that may help. Come take a look at this, your highness." Endymion, quick on his feet, rushed over to the blond Shitennou sitting behind the computer screen. "Apparently our security measures have been tampered with," he revealed, pointing to the screen for emphasis.

Nephrite cocked an eyebrow as he got up from his seat. "Tampered? How so?"

"The alarms which are triggered by the presence of a Moonling found outside the castle perimeters and those that indicate magic use had mysteriously stopped working earlier this morning," Jadeite explained, brushing aside the blond curls from his eyes. "Perhaps that is how the Moonling escaped?"

For some reason that fact bothered Alani. Something at the back of her mind gnawed at her, wanting to spit something important off the tip of her tongue. But what was it? "'Mysteriously stopped working?'" Endymion repeated skeptically. He knew very well that their advanced technology would not malfunction so easily. If it suddenly 'stopped working', that meant someone must have deliberately sabotaged it to cease function.

Apparently, Kunzite had been thinking along the same lines. "That's preposterous. Someone must have turned them off."

"Who would do that? Only a select few are even allowed near such premises," Nephrite pondered, folding his arms across his chest. Endymion could not even fathom one of them betraying him like that. It frightened him to know that there was a possible security breach somewhere in his own home. But who, who would commit such treason like that?

"I want you to question those in charge of security and find out how the hell someone managed to break into our system. Obviously Serenity's disappearance and the malfunctioning alarms are related somehow, and I want to know who, why and how this happened!" He roared loudly to his soldiers. The use of the Moonling's name raised an even greater suspicion within Kunzite. His behaviour was truly different when it came to the Moonling. Still, orders were orders. Once all of this was out in the clear, he would investigate this issue thoroughly.

"You heard the Prince! Nephrite, you come with me. Jadeite, find Zoicite and meet us in the computer room. Fall out, men!" he commanded.

As the soldiers and generals retreated from the room, Endymion immediately returned to his futile attempt to find any clue within the tape footage. Maybe whoever tampered with the alarms took Serenity? 'Or maybe Serenity was the one who tampered with the alarms...' He sighed with bitterness, hanging his head between his shoulders. Whatever way she got out, he needed to find her now.

Soon, it was just Alani and the Prince standing in the large throne room. She gazed hesitantly at the worn out Prince in front of her, unsure of what to do. She wanted to console him and make him feel better like she always did in the past, but Alani knew that this time was different. He may not want or need her affections right now.

But this was her best friend. He may not want or need her right now, but that didn't mean she was going to leave him all alone at a frustrating time like this. Slowly, she walked up behind him, and placed a shaky hand on his tense shoulder, taking this moment to try and console the burdened Prince. "Endy?" she called quietly, lightly gripping at his shoulder. "Take a rest, would you? We'll find her, don't worry."

Another heavy sigh escaped his lips. "How can I rest, Alani?" he asked, not even bothering to face her. "Because of some idiot fool that wasn't paying attention, not only do we have a security breach, but I've now lost the woman that I love to God knows who--"

Her brown eyes widened with disbelief. 'Did.. did he just say what I think he said?' "Endy?"

"You know how many people are out to get her? She could be in trouble right now, and no one's there to save her! So don't tell me to rest, because I wont' rest until--"

"Endy!" she shouted frustratingly. Pulling hard on his shoulder, she twirled him around to face her. "Did you hear what you just said?"

Endymion looked at her with perplexity. "What are you talking about?" he demanded, shrugging her hand off his shoulder.

She shifted her weight onto her other foot. "You just said you loved the Princess!"

For a moment he stared at her with a blank expression, before scoffing in the opposite direction. "I did no such thing!" he announced profoundly, crossing his arms across his chest.

Grabbing his shoulders firmly, Alani looked him straight in the eyes. "Yes you did! You said, 'I've now lost the woman that I love!''

He pursed his lips and furrowed his brow. 'Did I really say that?' Endymion felt his body betray him when he felt a sudden warmness splash upon his cheeks. Shaking his head, he immediately brushed her off again and looked away with embarrassment. "Stop this nonsense, I need to find Serenity."

As he returned to his search, Alani stood there silently watching him as she mentally sifted through her thoughts. 'Endy's in love with the Princess?' She was very certain she heard him say that. Surely, she knew this was coming. She was the one who pushed the two relentlessly to admit their feelings. She was the one who was there when the Princess cried, and she was the one who Endymion ranted to about his problems. She _wanted_ Endymion to be with Serenity. 'Why else would I put myself through all that trouble? Right? Right?'

But something felt oddly off. Instead of feeling accomplished that all her hard work was finally paying off, Alani felt strangely different. It was as if something that was hidden in the depths of her heart for only God knows how long, suddenly sprung to life. An emotion which remained in slumber up until now had suddenly been triggered by his words. Clutching at her chest, she wondered why her heart had all of a sudden began beating so erratically. 'What... what is this feeling?'

"Well, would you look at that," Endymion sighed, hanging his head. "They were right."

His voice shook her out of her thoughts momentarily. As she walked over to the monitor station, she gasped as a still frame of a black and white video of a certain golden haired Princess seen leaving the Prince's room came into play. Alone. "That can't be," she whispered astoundingly, as her hand flew to her mouth.

Scratching the back of his head, Endymion heaved another heavy sigh. "I guess she really couldn't wait to leave this place," he mused bitterly. "But she was always like that. She always wanted to leave and go back to the Moon. But see, I don't know what hurts more," he began as he glanced over at her direction with a dark expression on his face. "The fact that she voluntarily left me, or that the one person I thought I could trust can't be trusted."

"B-but... I swear, I locked that door!" Yet all she could do was fixate on the undeniable proof in front of her.

"Well, you obviously didn't because she opened it! Or maybe she had a mysterious spare key? Is that what you're trying to say, Alani?" He snarled venomously at her. Alani trembled nervously as she had never been the one to receive the blunt end of his snarly attitude before. She had always seen his victims crumble beneath his cruel words but never before had she been the one they were directed at. Until now, that is.

She attempted to hide her shaky fists at her side. Although that video said otherwise, she knew she locked that door. 'I remember it clearly in my head. There must be some mistake.' But would she be able to convince Endymion? He had always taken her side and believed her in the past, but Alani knew today would be different. He might not take her side this time.

Taking a deep breath, Alani placed on her best poker face and slowly took a step forward. "I locked that door, Endy," she stated firmly, hoping to clear herself of these false accusations.

Endymion immediate response was a scoff. "You're still saying that, when this video obviously proves that you didn't?" His eyes narrowed as he looked at her with disappointment. "I _trusted_ you, Alani."

Alani wanted to crawl into a hole and die just from that look of disgust he was giving her. "I know that, and I'm telling you, I _locked_ that door," she repeated. "Why won't you believe me?"

"Damnit, Alani!" His roar echoed throughout the empty room as he proceeded to kick down a nearby chair in an attempt to vent his frustration with her. "Stop screwing around with me!"

She winced when the chair flew across the room, crashing into a nearby wall and shattered into pieces. It was then she realized, she was actually _scared_ of the Prince. "I locked it, Endy! I stake our friendship on that!" she argued as calmly as she could in a situation like that.

Another scoff. "Right, like that means anything right now," he muttered beneath his breath. Although it was quiet, his words pieced her heart like a thousand daggers. Alani felt the tears caused by the hurtful words slowly and painfully build up behind her eyes. It was one thing to have him falsely accuse her, but to hear him cast away their friendship? The friendship that meant more to her than possibly life itself?

But she knew the Prince the best. If there was one thing that fueled him, it was knowing he was the one in power, even if it meant taking that power away from his best friend. As much as she loved him, she would not allow him to do that to her. Brushing away the tears as fast as she could, Alani took another step forward. "How could you say that? Don't vent your anger out on me because your precious Princess ran away from you. Maybe if you weren't such an unbelievable jerk to her, maybe she would have wanted to stay!"

This time it was her sharp words that pierced him hard. Harder than he had been expecting. Endymion clenched his jaw as he repeatedly reminded himself that the person standing in front of him was not only a woman, but a woman he once cared for, and probably still did. If it weren't for those things, the person in front of him would definitely have been lying on the floor with a broken nose. Still, hearing those words come from Alani pained him more than the words themselves. "And who was it that practically forced us to get along? If you just minded your God damned business, none of this would have happened!" he retaliated.

"If I minded my 'God damned business', you would be a miserable, lonely man!"

He laughed bitterly. "Funny you should say that, since you were the reason I was lonely and miserable in the first place!"

Her poker face faltered slightly. She hadn't expected him to cut her deep like that. Shaking her head, Alani continued to fight back the tears that begged for release. "Well, maybe if you confided in me more, maybe you wouldn't be so damned miserable!"

"I confide in you all the time, you idiot."

"Oh please, now who's lying? You know what I found out today? That my supposedly best friend has been engaged this whole time! And not just to anyone, but to the person he said he hated! So don't tell me that you confide in me, because you sure as hell don--" Alani was silenced immediately when Endymion latched onto her wrist firmly. She hadn't even noticed that in midst of her heated rant, he moved up to her. "E-Endy?"

"What did you just say?" he demanded. His hold on her was frighteningly strong. "How did you know about that?"

"Serenity told me this morning." Pulling herself free from his vice-like hold, Alani took a step backwards, wanting to keep her distance from the frightening Prince. "You know, if you told me you were engaged, I never would have encouraged her fe--"

"I'm _not_ engaged, you idiot!" Endymion shouted with exasperation. "More importantly, how did Serenity even find out?"

"Beryl came into your room this morning before I got there. She scared the wits out of her! Poor girl, she was trembling in tears by the time I found her--" Endymion closed the distance between them once again but this time, attacking her shoulders with his rigid grip. "Endy, you have to stop doing that--"

"How did Beryl get into my room?!" he demanded impatiently while shaking her vigorously.

"What do you mean? Didn't you give her a key?" she asked. At his patience limit, Endymion pushed himself off of her. "You mean you didn't give her a key?" She found herself asking, but by that time Alani already knew the answer to her question.

She had screwed up badly.

"Why, _why_ would I give her a key to my room?" The Prince of the Earth began to rub at his now aching temples.

"So then... how... how did she...?"

Endymion sighed, shaking his head. He didn't think it would come to this. A secret which he had kept for so long. Was he ready to finally come out and say it?

"Endy?" Alani called again.

"She's... a sorceress," he revealed regretfully.

Alani's eyebrows shot up to her hairline. Beryl was a sorceress? "B-but..! If she's a sorceress, how is she able to walk around freely?"

The weary Prince clenched his jaw. "No one knows except me."

"Endy..." Alani whispered softly. Just when she thought she knew everything about the man standing in front of her, today made her realize she really didn't know anything after all. "So then, Serenity didn't leave on her own? Beryl took her?"

"She must have been the one who disabled the alarms." Resting his hands on the nearby table, Endymion hung his head in despair. "She must have used a cloaking spell to avoid the cameras. She could have taken her anywhere, Alani..." His voice cracked, as he struggled to keep whatever hope he had left inside of him. It suddenly hit him—even if it was just for a moment. The futility of the entire situation. The exhausted Prince fell disparagingly into a nearby chair. Resting his head on his fingers, Endymion shut his eyes. He felt the tears well up behind his eyes, betraying every bone in his body. He really had lost her. God, he felt pathetic. Rubbing his eyes with his sleeve, Endymion was thankful the only one to see his moment of weakness was Alani. Would he really never see Serenity again? Was this morning the last time they'd ever hold each other? Would the last time he kissed her really be the _last time_ he'd ever kiss her again?

No, he wasn't going to give up. He couldn't give up. No matter how empty the glass was. He _had_ to find her. There were so many things he needed to say to her. He needed to explain the night before. He needed to tell her how his day went. He needed to tell her... just how much she was changing him. The fact that they had lost their main bargaining chip against the Moon wasn't even on his mind. It was the fact that he had lost the one person who made his day—no, life, that much easier and enjoyable to get through that ate away at him. Endymion wasn't going to let some jealous witch take away the one good thing in his life. But how was he going to do it? Beryl was miles away from the Palace. It would take days to get there and he wasn't even sure if she brought Serenity there. How could he get there in a matter of seconds?

His eyes widened. Pulling himself off the chair, Endymion hastily rushed past a silent Alani. "E-Endy?" she called while lifting her head. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find her," he announced with confidence as he pushed through the doors.

"Are you mad?" she demanded as she followed him down the empty halls. "You don't even know where to look!"

"I know where she lives; that's a start."

"Beryl lives in the North! It'll take you days to get there!"

"Not if I use a transportation spell," he revealed. It was then that Alani had noticed where the Prince had been marching towards: the library.

Alani couldn't let this happen. Endymion was not only inexperienced with magic, but he was putting his reputation at stake. If the Prince of the Earth was caught using the forbidden arts, he would lose everything: his palace, his people, everything. No, she couldn't let him risk all that. Not for Serenity, not for anyone. "You don't even know if she's there for sure!"

The eager Prince pushed open the large wooden doors. "I can't just sit around and wait, Alani. I need to search for her."

"I understand that, but you can't just rush into this without thinking! There are so many things that could go wrong here. Endy, listen to me!" Grabbing a hold of his arm, she yanked him back in an attempt to get him to hear her out.

"Stop calling me that!" he roared, shaking his arm free of her hold. "Why won't you just let me do this?!" he implored restlessly.

"Because I don't want you to think this out irrationally! Have you even used magic before?" she asked. Endymion avoided her condescending gaze. As annoying as her badgering was, she was right. He knew he was unexperienced. For all he knew, he could end up at the bottom of the ocean. Not to mention, if he was caught, that would be the end of his reign as Prince, and the legitimacy of his ruling would be compromised. Yet for some, strange and bizarre reason, he was willing to risk it all, risk everything... for her. "Look, let's just go back to the conference room, tell Kunzite and the others that it's Beryl behind this, and work it out from there."

She sounded rational. What she said made sense to him. If he could think clearly, that's what he would be thinking. But he wasn't thinking rationally. He hadn't been thinking properly ever since the Princess tumbled into his life. All he wanted was for Serenity to be back in his arms where she rightfully belonged, even if it meant taking the most dangerous route possible. "I'm sorry, Alani, but I have to do this," he whispered softly, before turning away from her.

Just as he was about to walk towards the book shelves containing the spell books, Alani quickly ran around him. Holding her arms out at her sides, she planted herself firmly in front of him. Chin up, she announced with confidence, "Well, I'm sorry too Endy, because I can't let you do this."

He easily pushed her aside. "You're quite the annoyance, Alani. And stop calling me that."

Alani quickly recovered, throwing herself in front of him once more. "I'm doing this because I care about you, _Endy_."

"You're doing this because you _care_?" He laughed, pushing her aside once more. "What a load of bull. You're doing this because you feel bad, not because you _care_."

Alani bit down on her lip, trying to remain as strong as she could when his words hurt her so. Running in front of him yet again, she held out her arms in defiance. "I'm sorry, Endy, I told you. Yes, it was my fault she was captured. That's something I will have to live with every day. Which is why, I can't let you do this, Endy."

Endymion chuckled, shaking his head. "You're really something, Alani. I didn't think you'd stoop down to something so low," he said darkly, folding his arms across his chest. Alani's brow furrowed as her arms lowered slightly. What did he mean by that?

"Low? What are you saying?"

"The reason why you don't want me to find Serenity is because then you know it's over," he replied arrogantly.

She blinked rapidly, still confused by what he meant. "What?"

"Us, Alani," he finished with a smirk. "You're still in love with me."

Her mouth hung wide open as she gawked in complete shock at her childhood friend. Alani lowered her arms completely, absolutely appalled at his absurd claims. Still in love with him? Was he completely out of his mind? She knew they had said a lot of things today that they truly didn't mean, but who was he kidding here? "That is ridiculous! I'm the one who has constantly tried to help you get together!" she shouted.

"Only to appease your own conscience," he began, taking a step forward. "You feel that what happened to us was your fault and you're trying to clear your guilt by trying to make me happy. So you try and set me up with the Moon Princess in an attempt to make up for your mistakes." He continued to step forward, slowly backing the frightened Alani into a nearby bookshelf. "But deep down, you knew I would never fall for her. I would never put my feelings in front of my kingdom. It was pointless and you knew it. But you did it anyways, to make yourself feel like you were trying to help me." As continued to back her into a corner, Endymion knew his words were having an effect on his former lover. She remained silent during his prognosis, head turned away from his piercing stare. Rational-Endymion would have stopped at this point. He would have apologized profoundly, and blame his outburst on his uncontrollable emotions.

But he wasn't Rational-Endymion. No, his mind was far from it.

"And that's why you kissed me," he continued. "You used Serenity as an excuse, but you knew very well why you did what you did." He successfully backed her into the bookcase behind them, knocking down some books in the process. Alani winced involuntarily as Endymion moved his face closer to hers. His lips, just grazing her trembling jaw, and his hot breath burned her skin. He pressed his body forcefully against hers, almost crushing hers between him and the bookcase behind her.

His dark, menacing eyes pierced into cheek. Alani clenched her eyes, unsure of what to do in this situation. She wanted to push him off and kill him for scaring her like this. But she was frozen; helpless against his will. She could almost feel his heartbeat thrashing wildly against his chest, but she may have been mistaking it for hers.

Endymion inhaled sharply as he brought his lips to her ear. Gently kissing the outer lobe, Endymion exhaled deeply. "I guess you didn't take into account that maybe, just maybe, I could actually be falling for her," he whispered sensually into her ear.

Her eyes opened wide in response. She turned her head slowly to face him as she looked up at him with uncertainty. His face softened drastically, and his demeaning expression faltered. His bottom lip trembled lightly, and his eyes had never looked more sad. Endymion brought his hand up to her cheek, cupping her soft skin gently in his hand. Thumb gently grazing her cheek, Alani closed her eyes and leaned into his hand.

Was he right? Was she subconsciously just trying to make herself feel better? All this talk about making Endymion happy, was it all a lie? Was she really still in love with him? Before this, she would have hastily denied it. But now, with Endymion holding her like this, touching her like that.. it flooded her body with too many nostalgic feelings. It had been ages since he has held her like this. Perhaps, somewhere deep within Endymion's words, there was a spark of truth hidden. Perhaps... just maybe... she was...

It was then she felt something wet drop onto her cheeks. Looking up beneath her lashes, she was surprised to see tears rolling down the Prince's face. Not enough to say he was crying, but just enough to let her know how he felt. It was then she realized this wasn't about how she possibly felt about him or their relationship two years ago. No, this was about Endymion needing a friend right now.

Wrapping her arms around his body, Alani pulled him into her embrace. Resting her head on his shoulder, Alani sighed. Endymion held onto her tightly while burying his face into the crook of her neck. "Alani..." he whispered, voice crackling slightly. "I need to find her."

Nodding, she patted him gently. "I know, Endy. Let me know what you need, and I'll help you find it."

Pulling back slightly, Endymion lips curled into a smile. "You'll help me?" he asked.

Smiling back, Alani nodded. "Of course."

Just then, the doors to the library opened, filling the room with the light from the hallway. Endymion turned around, curious to see who it was. "Prince Endymion!" Nephrite called as he stumbled frantically into the room.

Immediately retracting from each other's embrace, the two embarrassingly walked up to the brown haired general. "What do you have for me, Nephrite?" Endymion croaked, before clearing his throat to adjust his voice. Nephrite began to fumble through his pocket as he walked up to Endymion. Handing the Prince the object in his hand, Endymion realized he had been given a white envelope.

"What's this?" the Prince asked, taking the object in his hand.

"Well, it turns out one that of the men guarding the security stations had been put under a spell. He doesn't remember what happened, but we managed to find this on him." Endymion stared at the envelope curiously. Ripping the side open, he emptied the contents into his hand as a sole, silver ring fell from the paper confinements.

"A ring? What could that mean?" Nephrite asked, looking up at his Prince.

Staring intently at the cold ring in his hand, Endymion frowned. "It couldn't be..."

Alani tilted her head, eying the Prince curiously. "Be what, Endy?"

Closing his fist, Endymion's lips curled into a smile. "I think I might know where the Princess is."

* * *

She struggled to stay awake as she sat blindfolded and bounded to a wooden chair. The pungent smell of old dust and thriving mold attacking her nostrils and her pounding headache were helpful in keeping her alert and conscious. Her hands and feet were tingling from the lack of circulation and her arms and legs shivered from being exposed to the cold air surrounding her. How long had it been since she was brought here? Hours? Days? Time just seemed to blend together. All she could remember were bits and pieces but they were all out of place. What did she do first? When did _that_ happen? When did _this _happen? Did it even happen? What did she do an hour ago? Where was she yesterday? Her mind was completely muddled. 

"Is she awake?" She heard a familiar voice ask. Her initial instinct was to raise her head in the direction of the voice, but for some reason her body didn't comply to her will. She just remained slumped in the chair, with her head hanging low to the side.

"Physically, she is consciously responsive," she heard a man reply. Judging by his voice, he seemed much closer to her than the first and sounded much older. "Mentally... well, you might as well call her brain-dead. Most of the time she is unable to respond, and when she does, it's pure nonsense."

'Brain-dead?' She wondered, replaying his words inside her head. 'I'm... I'm brain-dead?' She felt the old man's cold hand brush against her cheek, caressing it as if he were marveling her condition as if it were his own creation. His touch made her feel disgusted and she wanted nothing more than to throw him off, but again, her body remained unresponsive.

"Perfect," the first person spoke again, as the sound of her heels clicking against the wooden floor drew closer to her. The soft, yet cold, feminine hand rested at her shoulder, grasping it ever so gently, but with enough pressure to leave a mark. "Maybe now, dear Princess Serenity, you'll think twice about running away again."

She remained motionless. Serenity? Was that her name? How she wished she could move or at least be able to speak. She'd tell that man to remove his disgusting hand from her body. She'd try and find some way to escape. She'd do anything to just move at her own will...

"_He_ should be arriving soon. It shouldn't take him any longer to find this place." Both hands removed themselves from her body. She could hear their voices slowly fade into the distance until she could no longer hear them anymore. He? Who was this "he?" they spoke of? Why did that strike a familiar feeling inside of her? Was it that dark haired figure that kept appearing in her mind? Who was he? Was he even real? How did she know him? Did she even know him at all?

But the more she tried to think about it, the harder she fell into the endless spiral of darkness, and the harder it was to remember him. Tumbling further and further, with nothing to grab onto. She just kept falling and falling into nothingness. Why didn't anything make sense anymore?

She felt so lost.

"En...ion..."

* * *

His dark blue eyes bestowed upon the worn down building in front of him. He wasn't sure how long it had been since the last time he was here, but judging by the crumbling walls and shambled state of the small building, Endymion knew it had been too long. 

He was surprised he even remembered where this place was. It was an hour away from the castle on horse, concealed by a surrounding forest to the east, just close to the main town. Uncurling his fist, the Prince glanced down at the small, silver ring that rested in the palm of his hand. The moment he saw the object fall from the envelope, he knew this had to be where Serenity was. There was no mistaking this ring. The clean cut nature of the design meant a promised eternity, and nothing but that. The message was simple, but the meaning was far more complex. Similar to the words, "I love you," it had a simple connotation, but the feelings and emotions behind it were much more intricate.

Beryl had given this ring to him about three years ago in this very same building. More than three years ago, it was a very famous jewelery shop owned by the well known Count Franz and Countess Emerald. The reason why it was so famous was not just because of it's exquisite jewelery, but because Franz was good friends with the King, his father. In fact, they were best friends. They were so close, that Franz promised the King a wife for his first born son—his daughter, Beryl, who at that time was originally known as Morganite.

Although his father died before he even knew what a marriage was, Endymion knew he had an obligation to fulfill his father's wishes. Unfortunately, his heart was in the hands of someone else at the time. If he hadn't fallen in love with Alani, Endymion knew he would have definitely married Morganite. Three years ago, when Beryl offered this ring to him as a sign of their future together, in the building before him, he regretfully could not accept it. He knew that pursuing a marriage with someone when your heart belonged to another woman was unfair to not only himself, but to his father, and to Morganite.

_"I'm sorry. I can't marry you," the young Prince bowed solemnly, as he gently pushed her extended hand back._

_"But... you were promised to me," the future countess argued. Pleading through her eyes, she held out her hand with the silver ring once more. "So take the ring, and we can get married when we're older."_

_Wrapping his hand delicately around hers, he slowly closed her fist and held it in his hands. He brought it close to his lips and kissed them softly. "I'm sorry, Morganite. You deserve someone who will devote themselves completely to you." Lowering their hands, he released his hold and sighed. "And I can't be that person for you." As he turned away, he could feel her world shatter beneath her feet. All that she had come to know was walking out of the door and out of her life forever._

_"Endymion!" She called one last time, seconds before he was through the door. Endymion paused, before looking back over his shoulder. Her eyes were streaming with tears as they fell one by one down her cheeks. Hands shaking, lips trembling, Endymion almost hesitated in leaving. Her entire future had been promised to her, then taken away in an instant. And it was all his fault._

_"I honestly loved you...!" she cried, holding her fist to her chest._

_His lips curled into the last smile that he would ever give her._

_"Thank you..."_

A year later he had heard their business went bankrupt. Apparently their marriage was not only a promise to his father, but it was a promise to the Count to keep his company alive. Their family ran into debt, her mother committed suicide, and her father ran away, never to be seen again. When he heard of the news, Endymion wanted to see Morganite and check up on her, for he felt partly responsible. Unfortunately, no one knew where she went. She simply disappeared into thin air.

Almost a year after, Endymion had heard from his advisors that there had been a sorceress practicing the forbidden magics in the North. After days of venturing in the cold, icy winds, he was separated from his team. Unaccustomed to the harsh conditions of the North, he had lost consciousness. But just when he thought his days were numbered, he awoke in an unknown room only to find out that he was saved at the very last moment by a mysterious, yet familiar woman_.  
_

_"What did you say?" The sable haired woman asked with disbelief._

_"Your name," Endymion repeated, as he held on to his bruised ribs. "I'd like to know my saviour's name."_

_She paused for a moment. "I'm your saviour?"_

_"Well, I'd be dead if it weren't for you," he informed. "Tell me your name." The woman remained still as she continued to stare at him with perplexity. Endymion squinted his eyes slightly. Why did this woman evoke such familiarity within him? He had seen that smile and those eyes once before, but from where?_

_After a moment of silence, the woman spoke up. "I'm afraid if I told you, you won't see me in such a wonderful light anymore."_

_He chuckled as he threw the covers off of his body. "You saved my life. How could I ever see you differently?"_

_Her smile faded, turning her head away from him. Her fingers trailed gently over an object which dangled from her neck, fingering it ever so slightly. "Your promises don't mean anything to me more, Endymion," she replied, voice dripping with bitterness._

_The young Prince furrowed his brow, scratching his head with confusion. "I'm sorry miss, but as grateful as I am to you, we just met. Now, if you would please tell me your name, I'd be happy to pay you back someho--" He stopped immediately when his eyes fell upon the woman's slender fingers. That hand... he knew that hand. Reaching forward, he grabbed a hold of her wrist and pulled her hand aside._

_A silver ring dangled precariously from a chain around her neck. Eyes growing wide, Endymion drew in a sharp breath. He knew this wasn't just any other silver ring. It was **the**_ ring. The ring that had haunted his conscience for over two years. But if it was the same ring, then that must mean this woman was...

_"M-morganite?" he found himself asking aloud, although he couldn't quite believe it himself. She pulled her hand away abruptly from his and hastily walked away from the bed. "Is that... is that really you?" he asked with disbelief. Pursing her lips, the woman remained silent. She continued to finger the ring as she looked away from him sorrowfully. "It is you, isn't it?"_

_"It's Beryl now," she replied, still unable to look at him. "Countess Beryl."_

_He breathed a sigh of relief. He could have cared less about her name change. All that mattered was that she was alive and well. Although it strained him to move, Endymion threw his legs over the bed and attempted to stand on his two feet, only to find himself reaching his limit. His chest burned with pain as he tumbled back onto the bed, clutching at his ribs. "Damnit," he swore, belittling himself for being so weak._

_Beryl glanced sympathetically over her shoulder, face softening when she saw his courageous, yet futile, attempt to get closer to her. She wanted to rush over to him and help him, but she knew she couldn't. Too much had changed. She wasn't the same little naïve girl, head over heels in love with him. She had changed. Everything about her was different._

_He smiled weakly at her back, trying to fight through the pain. "I... I thought you were dead. I heard about your parents. I tried searching for you, but there was nothing."_

_"A lot has changed," she said bitterly, continuing to finger the metallic object at her neck. "I'm not the same as I was when you last saw me."_

_He shrugged. "You still seem like the same to me. Still always looking out for others."_

_Beryl clenched her eyes shut. "That's not true. I'm not that girl you once knew," she informed with regret, biting down on her lip._

_Suddenly, a loud knock pounded against the door, pulling them out of their momentary enthrallment. It continued to bang, until an even louder voice roared from the other side of the door. "We know you're in there, witch! Get out while we're still merciful!"_

_Endymion's eyes widened. "You're... you're the sorceress? We're.. we're looking for __you?"_

_"I must go," she announced hastily._

_"Wait!" he called, unable to move. "What happened to you, Morganite? Why are you a sorceress now?"_

_She glanced weakly over her shoulder. "You of all people should know what a broken heart can do." But before he could say another word, Beryl smiled once more. "Goodbye, Endymion. I fear the next time we meet will not be as pleasant as this was." And with that, she vanished completely before Endymion could even move a muscle._

_She was gone._

The soldiers eventually broke down the door, surprised to find their master which whom they thought was dead, bandaged and injured. When they asked him where the sorceress went, he told them he was the only one in the room the whole time. Although he didn't quite understand what had happened to that girl he once knew, he felt as if he owed her that much to keep her secret safe.

The next time he saw her, he hardly recognized her. Her hair was now a fiery red, yet her eyes were cold as ice. Those slender, delicate hands he once knew had aged, and felt dirty, as if they were permanently stained in the blood of others. She had adopted a more provocative image; her clothes were more revealing and clung to her as if they were a second skin to her.

Her personality suffered the same fate. She became loud, rash, obnoxious, and her words were no where near the ladylike personality she had before. Her once tragic and unrequited love for him had now become an obvious, unhealthy and neurotic obsession over him. She was literally a different person. The more he saw her, the more his hopes that the sweet and loving Morganite was somewhere underneath all that dwindled into an oblivion.

The memories nostalgically filled his mind. He had even forgotten about Morganite until now. Was there still hope that she was somewhere still in there? 'No. Beryl will definitely use that against me.' This wasn't about the past. This was about him taking back what was rightfully his. Beryl had taken something important of his, and he wasn't about to let it go without a fight.

Stepping off of his horse, Endymion took a deep breath as he walked up to the former jewelery shop. Back to where it all started. He had to come out of here with the Princess in his arms. He just had to.

"Wait for me, Serenity. I'll save you."

* * *

**End Notes**  
I always believed Queen Beryl wasn't always an evil person. Maybe it wasn't depicted as much in the anime and not as much as in the manga, but I really enjoyed the musical's adaptation of the character. Beryl was just a scorned woman who was badly influenced. I wanted to give her one sided love for Endymion a little more depth and have him more sympathetic than angry towards Beryl which is why I made that little side story with them. Of course, I can't deny the fact that she is evil, but, not all villains start off that way. Endymion mentioned before many times of his dislike towards her, but that is towards Beryl, and not that other girl that he once knew. I gave her the name "Morganite" because it is actually the name of a a pink coloured Beryl crystal. I thought it would be ironic to use since pink is the colour most associated with Usagi and it sounds pretty nice. 

If you recall in chapter one, Endymion mentions that she has "fiery red hair" which I realized contradicts with what I said in chapter eleven where she had "long, wavy ebony hair." This is because I only thought of that Morganite side story as I was writing this chapter and when I looked back I realized the hole I had dug myself in. I changed the description in chapter twelve to red hair so just imagine her as the Beryl we know in the anime and manga and her "Morganite" persona as the human form which can be seen in the Sailormoon Artwork Materials Collection. (Yes, this is why I need a beta!)

The twist where Alani could possibly have been in love with Endymion this whole time was actually another thing I thought of as I wrote this chapter. Luckily, it is still easy to _carefully_ add it into the storyline. Revising this story actually keeps me in check as I write new chapters. Things between them will be resolved in the next few chapters. How or what will happen, you'll have to wait. I'll try to get the next chapter out soon. Hopefully it won't be as difficult to write as this was. Please continue to leave comments in forms of a review or PM. I really do read every review you send and keep it in mind as I write the next chapter.


	14. Authors Notes

**September 4, 2010**

Hey, everyone. If you didn't hear, I'm currently in the process of revamping and rewriting this story. I'm planning out the story right now, so that I don't have any excuses for not finishing it. I'm about halfway done, and then I'll be writing up the story. I'll still leave this story up to read for the time being, but just note that the story is going to take on a similar direction, but a very different one as well. Consider it a "reboot", if you will.

If you're interested in becoming a beta reader for this story, please send me an email at [at]gmail[dot]com, or send me a PM on ffnet. Thanks for your patience, and hopefully I'll get the newly revamped chapter up and running soon.


End file.
